Orion
by Ripley10
Summary: Orion's living life on his terms, content with his freedom. Then Stella Turner turns up on Reservation, changing everything. Stella's family was murdered on the edge of Reservation. She was hunted and nearly captured by men who seemed to know her. When everything she's believed is false, and everyone has lied to her, can she trust her heart to Orion?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

 **Stella**

"Vieni qui, _come here_ " the voice called her, "gattino, _kitty_."

She crept forward, silently, warily; her belly to the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible.

The hand that touched her head was gentle, brushing her tangled hair softly away from her face. She looked up into kind brown eyes. She recognized this face, he was sometimes with the Big Man. The one who picked her up roughly and held her up, laughing, showing her off in bright lights and loud rooms.

He said something else, something she didn't understand, and then scooped her up. She fought him, hissing and scratching, rolling her body, trying to get away.

"Stai bene, _you're okay_ " the voice said again, over and over. His hands still gentle, his arms a cage, though not hard, not cruel.

He carried her quickly; she saw rooms fly by, and then she was outside, under the stars. She had only seen the stars once before, and her breath left her body when she looked up at them. Pinpricks in the sky, infinite and dizzying. The man cradled her, whispering things that made no sense to her. Then the sky was gone, and she was cradled in new arms, softer, sweet smelling arms. She looked up into a face that was completely different than any she'd seen before; red lips, dark skin, a beautiful face. She raised her hand and touched it wondrously and the red lips split into a smile.

"Piacere di conoscerla. _It's nice to meet you,_ " the voice was high and light, "Mi chiamo Carla. _My name is Carla._ "

She moved closer, her eyes wide. Then she saw that she was moving, even though her body stayed still. She looked around her fearfully, but she heard the soft voice again, "Va be, va be, _it's okay, it's okay_ " and she relaxed. She watched the face, saw the smile, and let her eyes shut, drifting off to sleep.

 **Orion**

501 kept his head back, watching the stars. He had been days in this motel, in the dry hot desert, the only break from the heat the required meetings with a head shrink and the nights. He tolerated the shrinks, but waited breathlessly for the night.

He took off his shirt, enjoying the way the air raised goosebumps on his skin. He dropped to the ground where he was; crossing an arm behind his head and watching the night. A bright light streaked across the sky.

"Wha..?" he said outloud.

"It's a falling star," a voice said near him. He jumped to his feet, ready to fight, but when he saw who it was, relaxed. It was Justice, the male who had named himself after they were taken from the labs at Mercile.

"The stars fall?" 501 looked around, mentally judging the distance between himself and a concrete bunker if he needed to take cover.

"It's so far away, it will be a speck of dust when it comes to earth," Justice reassured him.

"Good," 501 said, "I will enjoy the sight from a great distance."

"Have you chosen a name yet?" Justice asked. He'd been encouraging males to choose a name, to dispense with the numbers they'd been called since their first memories.

"I have," 501 said, "Orion."

"Orion?" Justice asked, lying down next to him when 501 moved back to the ground to stare up at the sky again.

"Yes," Orion said, "It is a constellation of stars. Something far away, cold, but not alone. One of many."

"I like it," Justice said, "It's a good name."

 **Chapter 1**

"Mom," Stella whined, "please, for the love of God, turn down the Puccini. I can't listen to this woman die again."

Carla Turner laughed at her daughter, "Sorry Stella Bella," she said, "This is all part of the American road trip experience. Crappy diners, gas station restrooms, classic tunes."

"Usually that means things like blasting AC/DC or, I don't know, Katy Perry. It doesn't mean actual classical music," Stella replied tartly.

Her mother laughed again, a beautiful musical laugh that never failed to make Stella feel utterly content and loved.

"My baby just graduated from college," Carla said, and looked over at Stella in the front seat, "My loving husband is sleeping in the backseat, after dutifully driving for over, what was it? Two hours? And now, I am enjoying some much needed girl time. Puccini is the soundtrack to my happiness."

Stella lowered her window, letting the warm air flow over her hand, before propping her arm on the door and letting her cheek drop to her hand.

She cleared her throat, and moved her other hand to her throat, tapping her finger there. Tap tap tap. Stop. Tap tap tap.

A gentle hand curled around her fingers.

Stella looked over and Carla grinned at her and squeezed her hand, "You can make the noise, Stella. It's just Dad and me."

Stella cleared her throat, but she knew she couldn't stop the noise that emanated from her without tapping her finger. She tried clearing it again.

"Stell…" her mother said quietly, "It's okay."

Stella closed her eyes, and relaxed, letting the hum become audible.

"I always know you're happy that way," Carla said, "I love your little purr."

Stella smiled. Ever since she was a little girl, her mother had a way of saying things that made her completely at ease.

"Thanks for coming to get me," Stella said, "I really didn't want to drive by myself."

Carla laughed out loud, "You didn't want to move your stuff by yourself."

Stella looked behind her at the trailer their SUV was towing, "That too," she answered honestly.

"Mmhmm," Carla said.

Stella saw her mother's eyes flick to the rearview mirror, and a crease appeared between her eyes. A moment later a large black SUV thundered past them, going so fast it felt like they were standing still.

"Geez," Stella said, rolling her eyes, "In a hurry much?"

Carla didn't say anything, but took her hand away from Stella's and gripped the wheel with both of hers. The sunlight flickered off of her mother's diamond, throwing a reflection onto the dashboard, catching Stella's attention.

"Gino!" Stella's mother suddenly cried out, right before their car slammed into the SUV that had passed them.

Stella's body hit the seatbelt hard. Their smaller SUV rocked and veered into the guardrail, throwing Stella sideways, and making her head hit the window. Time seemed to slow down.

She watched the world tilt and spin.

She heard breaking glass and then a groaning and scraping of metal.

Her mother crying out, and her father's deeper yell, "Carla!"

Their SUV came to a halt, tilted and rocked before slamming back down to four wheels.

"Carla!" her father cried out.

Stella looked over at her mother. Her dark brown eyes stared unseeingly out the window, a trail of crimson trailing out of the side of her mouth, another trail dripped slowly down her earlobe.

The air seemed to thicken around Stella, her body felt slow and heavy, her father's voice filtered to her as if it was underwater. He started to climb over the seat, "Carla!"

The window next to him shattered, and the door pulled open. For a moment, Stella thought it must be the EMS. _Save her,_ she thought, but then her father was pulled roughly through the door.

"Papa!" Stella screamed, just like she had when she'd had a nightmare as a little girl.

The door next to her mother was ripped open. Stella watched horrified as she was pulled and dumped unceremoniously on the pavement.

"NO!" her father yelled.

A head dipped into the SUV, and leered at Stella. Huge meaty hands reached toward her, triggering memories from before she had words, making Stella's stomach clench and roll with nausea, "Ciao gattino," he said smoothly.

Stella pushed desperately at the door next to her, throwing her back against it. But her side of the car was resting against the guardrail, and there was no moving it. Still, she pushed. The man laughed, and gripped her ankle, pulling her toward him. She hissed at him, her fingers curling, and she swiped at him, raking his face with nails.

"Gatto cattivo," the man said, drawing him toward her, "You're a bad kitty."

He gripped her waist and threw her out of the car.

"Stella!" her father cried out.

Stella saw her father. His brown eyes were wide and wild looking.

"Gino," the man said, "Gino, Gino." He shook his head as he walked toward Stella's father. Stella saw two other men, clothed in expensive looking suits, standing on either of him. He was hunched over, the men propping him up.

"Papa!" Stella sobbed. The man who dragged her out of the car, held tightly to her arm, and started laughing.

"Papa?" he laughed, "You stole property from La Famiglia and then raised it like a child?"

Her father groaned and would have fallen if the men hadn't held tightly to him, "She's my daughter."  
The man continued to laugh, wiping his eyes, "You call this animal your daughter? She is in for a quite an awakening," he said, "when I return her to her cage."

"Bastardi!" her father ground out.

The man let go of Stella. She watched him reach into his jacket, and walk to her father.

Her father looked at her, his kind brown eyes wet, tears leaking from them, "Correre," he whispered in Italian. _Run._

Stella was frozen in place. The sun glinted off the man's gun as he aimed it at her father's head, and pulled the trigger. The sound reverberated through the forest, provoking Stella into action. She turned around and sprinted toward the trees, leaping over the guardrail.

"Arresto!"

But Stella didn't stop. Her feet flew over the ground. Bark exploded off a tree near her head. She ducked, and ran in another direction. She could hear feet pounding behind her, and she sped up, her breath coming in heavy pants. The terrain changed, newer growth trees packed closer together, slowing her down. She weaved between branches that whipped her face and pulled out her hair. There was a burst of leaves to her left, and a body slammed into hers, grasping her arms tightly. Stella acted without thinking; throwing her head forward and biting the man, her teeth sinking into his neck. He cried out and released her, and Stella leapt. She leapt like she did when she was a child and weighed nothing, scrambling up a tree, gripping with her fingers and toes, moving lightly from branch to branch until she was high above the men who chased her, and who now stood, observing her with no concern, at the base.

"Come down kitty," one called, and made a kissing noise with his lips.

Stella held tightly to the tree, looking around her, measuring the distance between the tree she was in, and one nearby.

"No jumping, you bad cat," the man laughed, "We'll get a ladder and help you down."  
Stella unwound her arm from the branch and flipped him off, "Come up and get me asshole."

"Puttana!" the man called up at her. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a gun, shooting up at her.

Stella jerked her head to the side, heard a hiss of air and a _thwack_ and saw a dart embedded in the bark.

"The fall will kill me, dumbass," she called down, "Stop shooting shit at me!"

"Kitty." It was the man who shot her father, he lumbered casually through the forest, brushing dirt from the lapels of his jacket, before looking up at her, "We're going to get you one way or another. We are happy to take you healthy, and we are happy to take you with broken bones. It makes no difference to us."

Stella held onto the branch, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the man. She wasn't able to respond, her anger overwhelmed her, and she heard herself hiss at him.

"Bene, Kitty," the man said, "We will use you as target practice."

 **Chapter 2**

"Orion?" Tiger's voice came over Orion's radio as he drove along the edge of Reservation.

"Go ahead, Tiger," Orion answered.

"I need you to check out the eastern edge of Reservation, near the highway. Got reports from the Wild Zone of gunshots. Vengeance will meet you there."

"Roger that," Orion said.

He turned the ATV around, heading toward the highway. Orion pressed down hard on the gas, enjoying the way the spring air whipped at his face. The clouds were heavy in the sky, and the air was thick with humidity. He slowed as he got closer to edge of Reservation, and parked the ATV. He was more careful here, quieter; listening for humans and keeping an eye out for residents of the Wild Zone. He approached the newly built wall, surveying the top, looking for breaches and keeping an ear out to traffic. They were still pretty far from the highway, a thick swath of forest acted as a buffer between humans and New Species territory.

"Orion," a voice called to him.

Orion looked up and saw Vengeance on the top of the wall.

"Hey," Orion greeted, "Find anything?"  
"Not yet," Vengeance answered, "I was waiting for you before I got closer to the highway."  
Orion smiled, flashing his sharp canines at Vengeance, "Need a big strong male with you?"

"Asshole," Vengeance replied, "No. But I promised my mate that I would be careful. So I am doing that. I will probably be rewarded for my diligence when I return home." Vengeance smiled to himself, obviously thinking about his reward.

Orion made a noise like he was gagging, "You're pathetic," he said to Vengeance.

"You are just jealous," Vengeance answered with a smile, "I have a mate and share sex regularly."

Orion snorted, "You keep telling yourself that."

Vengeance smiled, "I will enjoy mocking you when you find your mate, my friend."

"Well, I hope you're writing down the insults, because it's going to be a long time, and I'd hate for you to forget them."

Vengeance laughed, "I will be sure to do that."

Orion patted his pockets, pretending to look for a notebook, "I thought I had one…" He stopped, tilting his head to listen. He looked at Vengeance, who nodded, letting him know he heard the same thing. They waited, calculating the direction the noise came from when they heard it again: growling, hissing.

Vengeance took off at a run, with Orion next to him. He radioed it in, "Tiger, send backup. It's New Species in distress, female by the sound of it."

"Roger," Tiger's voice calm and clear, "I have three dispatched."  
"Going silent," Orion said tonelessly. He and Vengeance slowed as they approached the source of the sound.

Orion breathed in deeply, "Three human males," he said, "One female. Feline."

Vengeance nodded, "They have weapons that have been discharged," he added. As a canine his sense of smell was slightly better than Orion's.

The wind kicked up, alerting Orion and Vengeance to the presence of three New Species males approaching. Flame, Shadow, and Brass moved toward them silently. Shadow used hand gestures, letting them know to fan out, surround the humans, and wait for his signal to attack.

The males split off. Orion loped through the forest, scenting the air around him and pushing down his instincts. The air was rife with the smell of the female's fear and pain. The stink of exertion from the humans would have led him to them, but as it was, their loud voices were easily followed. He approached them silently from behind where they were gathered around the base of a tall pine, jeering and calling at the female.

Orion was transported momentarily back to Mercile as their words filtered through the haze of his anger, " _You're making it worse. Just come down. Come here."_ Orion breathed through the rage, bringing himself back to the present, doing his best to push back the past.

The humans were laughing now and he saw one raise his weapon and shoot up into the tree. It was a dart gun, and the stink of drugs was blown toward him with the breeze.

"Got it!" the human was clapped on the shoulder by another male.

Orion sprinted forward, head lowered and plowed into the male with the gun. The male let out a surprised scream that ended on a choke, as Orion crushed his windpipe. The man grasped his throat and fell to the ground, back arching and heels pounding into dirt as he desperately tried to suck in air. Flame and Vengeance emerged from the forest at the same time, easily subduing the two other males in nonlethal, but still painful, ways.

Orion looked up the tree, but he couldn't see the female.

"I'm going up," he said to Vengeance, "I think they struck her with a dart."

Vengeance nodded, speaking into his radio, "Which female is it?"

Orion didn't wait for an answer, but leapt into the tree. He moved smoothly, looking up now and then. He could smell blood on the bark, probably where the female had scraped her body on the rough bark, trying to get away from the humans. He snarled at the thought, females should be safe on Reservation. Their fear of human males relegated to the past, but these men had come into Reservation. They had tried to assault one of their females. Orion was sorry that he had only killed one of them.

He looked up and saw feet, one with a shoe, one without, and he stopped. It was a very tiny foot, much smaller than a New Species female. He breathed in, she was definitely feline.

"Hello," he called up, "The humans are no threat to you anymore. Are you injured?"

The female didn't answer, but he heard a high growl, warning him off. It was the sound of injury and fear. Orion worried that she could fall out of the tree since she was hit with a dart, but he still moved toward her.

"You are safe now, Female," he said, moving toward her. He saw denim clad legs. HIs gaze moved upward, taking in pieces while his brain pieced clues together, a striped shirt, a blue jacket, long dark curling hair, wild golden brown eyes, wide cheekbones, a full mouth. Orion stifled a gasp.

"A Gift!" he said, shocked.

The female hissed at him before her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fell forward. Orion reached out, snagged a small wrist and pulled her into his body. Her weight threw him off balance and they both fell from the tree. He wrapped his body around hers, but was still able to shift his weight, and though he landed harder than he liked, he was able to avoid injury.

He stood up slowly, keeping her wrapped in his arms. She was very small, and light.

"What the hell, Orion?" Vengeance asked as all the males crowded around him to look at the female in his arms.

Orion growled, something about the approaching males triggering his protective instincts.

"Jesus," Shadow said, "She's a Gift."

"She's not one of ours," Brass added, "How the hell did she get here?"

Flame smiled at the humans, and kneeled down next to them. The stink of their fear was overwhelming, and one wet himself, "Gentlemen," Flame said, "Let's talk."


	2. Chapters 3-6

**Chapter 3**

In a flash, Stella remembered everything: the car accident, her mother's sightless eyes, getting chased through a forest, and men. Men reaching toward her, grasping and shooting. Her eyes flew open and she came to consciousness fighting: biting, hissing, clawing.

"Shit!" a deep voice cried out.

Stella rolled, and when arms reached out to her, she pushed back. Her body landed on the soft ground. She could smell the pitch and pine of the forest, and something else, something equally comforting and reassuring. She swiped at the hand that reached toward her and crab walked backward, scooting away as fast as she could, until her back hit a tree and she stood warily.

Three unfamiliar men, all dressed in black combat gear stood nearby. None of them seemed threatening, one squatted down near her, his hands raised. He had light brown hair, long and tied back at his neck, accentuating his features. Even in her state of surprise, Stella processed how good-looking the man was, cheekbones to die for, bright green eyes. He smiled at her warily and Stella saw he had dimples in his cheeks.

She took a trembling breath and pushed her hair out of her face, "You might be a nice guy, but I've had a really shit day and I need you to back the fuck off and tell me what's going on."

The man's eyes widened at her tone, but he nodded, and scooted backward.

He looked over his shoulder at the men near him, as if to ask permission, and cleared his throat, "The humans after you, shot you, with a tranquilizer," he explained carefully, "We were taking you to our medical facility to be checked out by doctors."

Stella groaned inwardly, _humans?_ Where the hell had they gone off the road?

"Where am I?" she asked, pushing back the hair that kept falling in her face.

"You're on Reservation," he answered, "You're safe here, with other New Species."

Stella's eyes widened. He was New Species! She looked at his uniform and saw the letters NSO embroidered on the front. But then…

"Wait? What? I'm not New Species," she said, looking at the man and shaking her head.

The man looked back at one of the other men, an unreadable look on his face. Stella snapped her fingers, "Hey, Dimples, if you have something to say, say it out loud."  
She heard someone chuckle and then clear their throat, trying to cover their amusement. Two spots of red appeared on the cheeks of the man in front of her, "My name is Orion," he said, teeth clench and jaw tight, "Will you come with us to medical? Get checked out? You can talk to them."

Stella nodded, suddenly embarrassed that she had snapped at him when he was only trying to be helpful. It wasn't his fault he couldn't recognize a human from a New Species. It didn't matter anyway. Once she got to wherever they were going, she would have enough to do, finding her parents, calling the police. She swallowed hard, and shook her head when tears threatened to overtake her.

No. There was no time for that now. She had too much to do.

"I'm sorry," she apologized genuinely, "I've had a really really bad day." She bit down on her lip to stop it from trembling and took the man's hand when he stood up and reached out to her.

"Apology accepted," he said, "But don't call me Dimples."

 **Chapter 4**

Orion was worried. Though the Gift hadn't screamed nor cried when she'd seen them, he could still scent her pain and sadness. She didn't realize that they could smell how she was feeling, since she was obviously trying to hide her emotions. He hated what she would still have to go through when they explained what she was.

Tiger had radioed to them, telling them that the town police had found two bodies and two destroyed SUVs. The human male had died from a bullet wound, and the female from injuries in the crash. It looked like the Gift had been traveling with them, and that the men chasing her had used their vehicle to run the other one off the road.

Orion snarled, and when the Gift looked at him warily, he cleared his throat, "Sorry," he said, "It's not you."  
She didn't answer, but continued to hold onto his hand. It was causing a curious sensation in Orion's chest, and making him extremely anxious about the other males around them. These males were his friends, but for some reason, each step they took or glance they threw the Gift's way was making him want to shove them into some of the thicker trees they passed.

"Can you ride?" Vengeance asked her kindly, when they arrived at the ATVs. "We can have someone drive out here if you can't."

The female shook her head, "I can ride." She took a step toward Vengeance, but Orion stopped her with a hand.

"You can ride with me," he told her, a little more forcefully than he meant to. The Gift shrugged, as if it didn't matter to her, but when Orion took a breath, he could smell her relief.

He climbed on first, and reached a hand out to help her climb onto the back.

At first, she leaned back, away from his body, as if she was worried about touching him, so he turned around, "Wrap your arms around my waist," he said, before starting up the machine, "The terrain is uneven."

She looked at him and worriedly bit her lower lip before wrapping her arms around his waist. Orion couldn't help the purr that began in his chest as they started driving, he could only hope that she thought it was the ATV, and not him.

Still, having this female's arms wrapped around him made him feel different. It was almost on par with sharing sex, but… Orion shook his head, clearly he needed to get out more, he'd been alone too much lately.

Vengeance led the way. Orion noticed that he steered them along a trail that ran outside of the Wild Zone, even though it would have been faster to drive right through. Wild Zone residents, though having become more socialized with Vengeance's help, were still wary of unfamiliar visitors in their territory, and Orion couldn't be sure of their reaction to the Gift female.

The ATV went over a bump and the female squeezed his waist tightly, her head dropping to his back. Orion moved his hand along her arm to squeeze back reassuringly, "Are you alright?" He yelled over her shoulder.

He didn't hear her answer, but he felt her nod against him.

Soon enough the more developed parts of Reservation came into view and they had arrived at the medical center. Orion drove them up to the emergency bay, where he was surprised to see a number of New Species had gathered. Jessie North stood with them. Orion recognized that they were all Gift females: Halfpint, Tiny, Beauty.

He heard an indrawn breath behind him, and a wave of, not fear exactly, but something close to it: shock, maybe.

The female stood up, and swung her leg around to get off the ATV. She gripped Orion's shoulder as she stood, and he could feel the trembling that had overtaken her entire body. She moved toward the other Gifts quickly, standing in front of them and wrapping her arms around herself.

She was about the same size as they were, barely making it past the five foot mark. Orion moved slowly off the ATV, aware of how he could make the Gifts nervous, but wanting to be close to _his_ Gift.

 _No,_ he thought quickly, _she's not mine._

He watched her. She slowly lifted her hand to her cheek, and almost as if she was standing in front of a mirror, traced her cheekbones, her nose, over her lips. A small sound left her, and she smothered it with her hands before squaring her shoulders, and pulling herself up straighter.

"I guess that's why those men called me _kitty_ ," she said, looking over her shoulder at Orion.

"My name is Jessie North," Jessie told her, approaching her slowly, "You'll be safe here on Reservation. This is Tiny, Halfpint, and Beauty. They came to meet you and to help you."

Jessie's voice was soft and kind.

"My name is Stella," the Gift said, "Stella Turner."

 **Chapter 5**

Stella wanted to be nice. She wanted to be kind to these women, but a scream was building deep inside her chest. She wanted her mother. She wanted to see her father. She wanted to rip out the throats of the men who had hurt them.

No. Not hurt. Murdered.

If she kept being spoken to in sweet, dulcet tones, she was going to explode, and she was afraid that she was going to do it to the people who were only trying to be nice to her.

"Can we please go inside?" she asked, digging her fingernails into her arm, pressing down hard until she could feel them tear into her skin, "I need to call the police about my family."

Jessie looked quickly at one of the males, not " _Don't call me Dimples"_ , but the tall blonde one, the one who reminded her, strangely enough, of Captain America.

Stella felt the sound building, the one that was on the other side of a purr, and signaled her growing distress. She hadn't made that sound since she was tiny, and none of the other techniques she used to stop the weird noises and sounds would work if this one decided to be heard. She put her hand quickly to her throat. Tap tap tap. Stop. Tap tap tap.

She could almost feel her mom's hand on hers, staying her movement. But she couldn't stop now. Tap tap tap. Stop. Tap tap tap. No one was moving. If someone didn't move, didn't get her into that building and give her a task, it was going to happen.

Stella started to panic. Tap tap tap. Stop. Tap tap tap.

A hand reached over to her's, a strong calloused hand that halted her finger, "It's okay," Orion said.

With his pronouncement, the sound died within her, responding to the conviction in his voice. Something made her believe that it would be okay, "Let's go inside," he said, placing a hand on Stella's back and leading her into the emergency room.

He stepped back as soon as they went through the doors, and Stella found herself aching for his touch. Her hand moved back to her throat, but before she could start tapping again, she was ushered into a trauma bay by a female nurse, a New Species female nurse. Her voice was kind and her questions clinical. Stella tried to separate her emotions from her brain, but while her mouth answered the questions, her heart screamed at her.  
" _Where do you have pain?"_

"My head, hands, feet, shoulders." _Heart. I think my heart is broken.  
_ " _On a scale of 1-5 with a 5 being the worst pain you've felt, what is your pain?"_

"2." _A million. This is the worst pain I've ever felt._

The nurse was joined by a female doctor, this one human, who looked in her eyes, and prodded her skull, and finally just sat down next to her, folded her hands in her lap, and started talking.

"Our males identified you as New Species," the doctor, whose name Stella couldn't remember, said.

Stella nodded, "I know. The men who chased me kept calling me kitty in Italian."

The doctor looked surprised for a moment, "I was told that you denied being New Species," she said, looking down at her chart.

"I did," Stella said, touching the red crescents her fingernails had made on her arms, "But then I saw the New Species outside. And they look like me."  
The doctor nodded, "You're what we call a Gift female. You are New Species, but your DNA is combined with that of smaller, most likely domesticated, animals. In your case, felines."

"I don't understand," Stella said, "but honestly, it doesn't matter. I don't have time to sit here and talk about New Species."

The doctor looked like she was going to interrupt her, so Stella held up a hand, "It's not that I don't care, I do, and maybe some other time we can talk about it. But I need to go. I'm fine. I need to call the police. I need to find my parents."

"The police have been called. They are at the scene of the accident and are gathering evidence about the nature of your parents' deaths."

Stella dug her fingernails back into her arms. She pushed down, feeling the skin split, and reveled in the pain.

"Stella!" the doctor said. Blood was trickling down her arm.

Stella reached out and snagged a tissue from the counter in front of her, "Sorry," she said, "I need to go there. I need to see them."

"Stella," the doctor said kindly, "I'm sorry. It's not safe out there. Please let me explain."

Stella stood up, "Can I call a cab from here? I have to get money from the car." She ignored the doctor.

The New Species nurse stood up with her, "Female," she said sternly, "I mean Stella," she added more kindly, "Sit down and listen to what Trisha is telling you."  
There was the sound again. Stella tapped her hand on her throat. It was really close to the surface right now. Stella leaned down, grabbing her one shoe and put it back on her foot. She ignored the nurse, and whipped the curtain aside to leave.

"You can't just leave," the nurse said, and put a hand on Stella's arm.

The sound exploded from her, a snarl of rage and sadness. Stella countered the nurse's grip by whipping her arm up and around. She landed a solid blow to her chest, pushing her off balance so she slammed into the gurney. The nurse recovered quickly, and used her size to wrap Stella in a bear hug. Stella flopped, became a dead weight, and pitching the nurse forward, slid from between her arms. She leapt over the bed, keeping it between her and the nurse. She growled warningly at her, not hearing the words that she was saying anymore, but watching the environment for any more threats.  
The nurse made a move toward her and Stella growled, low and deep, her fingers hooked into claws as she moved away, backing herself farther and farther away.

"Don't hurt her!" the doctor suddenly cried out, and Stella saw a shape behind her. She'd forgotten that there was no wall behind her, just another curtain separating her bay from another bay. She was wrapped up again in arms, much stronger, tighter arms, that no matter how much she fought, she couldn't escape.

Stella had no words. All rational thought left her, she just fought. She used her teeth, her feet, her fingers. She tried to slam her head into the person behind her. She flopped, she tensed, nothing worked, and so she screamed, except it didn't sound like a scream. Noises she'd never made before escaped from her lips, and she was horrified, and scared, and embarrassed, and terrified.

She heard another roar, another louder, angrier roar, and the arms around her released her. She fell hard to the ground, but was swept up quickly. She took a deep breath, ready to fight again, when a comforting scent hit her nose. She breathed in again, and laid her face on the source of the scent. She didn't move, and she didn't fight. She just stayed there, exhausted and scared, breathing in a smell she couldn't identify, but that made her feel safe.

 **Chapter 6**

Orion glared at Slade, curling his lip and holding onto Stella tightly.

"Enough," he said to him, "Trisha is fine. Leave us alone."  
"The female is unbalanced. She's volatile," Slade growled back, "I am not leaving."

Orion glanced down at Stella, who laid curled in his arms. Her eyes were glassy, staring at nothing, but her breathing was even and her body relaxed.

When Orion had first heard Stella cry out, he had knocked aside the other NSO males in the emergency room. He'd kicked open the locked doors, and paused momentarily, horrified, as he saw Slade try to subdue a frantic Stella.

"She was stable when I brought her here," Orion said, his teeth clenched, "Look at her now. What did you do?" He growled the last part at Trisha.

"Do not speak to my mate that way," Slade said, moving closer to Orion.

Stella immediately tensed in his arms, and he heard a quiet warning growl build in her chest.

"Get another doctor, then," he said, "Get her out of here. Whatever you did put her in this state."

"Orion," Trisha said quietly, "We were merely talking. Stella wants to leave, but we can't let her. You know that. Someone went to a lot of trouble to find her, and they are going to be even more interested in finding her now. You know we couldn't let her leave."

Stella continued to growl, he pulled her up to his body, and she turned into his chest. Her head fitting in the notch between his neck and shoulder. Her fingers dug into his arm, and he could feel her tensing. He realized that she wasn't snuggling him, or seeking comfort, but getting ready to launch herself over him and out of the Medical Center.

"Calm," he said quietly into her ear, "I will help you. I promise."

Her entire body trembled. He could feel the change in her breathing and she blinked up at him, the glassy eyed stare replaced with a look of utter mortification.

"Oh my god," she whispered, her hand reached up to her throat, and he saw her fingers move against it, "What did I do?"

She sat up on his lap, and spun around. Orion grimaced. He tried to tell his body that this was absolutely the wrong time, but he started to lengthen and harden against her soft bottom. Before he could be really embarrassed, Stella stood up.

"I'm sorry," she said to Trisha, and looking at Slade, "I'm sorry. I don't know…"  
"It's okay," Orion said quickly, looking at Trisha, trying to get Trisha to reassure her as well.

"Yes," Trisha said genuinely, "We understand completely. You don't need to be embarrassed."

"Uh, yeah," Stella said, drily, "I think I do."

Orion stood up next to Stella, wanting to remain close to her in case Slade felt threatened again.

"We really want to help you," Trisha said, "We weren't trying to give you a history lesson. But it's not safe for you anymore in the Out World. Please let us help you."

Stella took a deep shuddering breath. Orion found himself breathing along with her, the scent of her terror remained heavy in the room, triggering his protective instincts. He also found her scent sweet, and overwhelmingly arousing.

Stella looked over at Orion, and unconsciously took a step closer to him, "Okay," she said, "I'll stay. For now."

 _ **Thanks for reading and for all of your encouraging comments! I'm just wondering- do you prefer to read the story when it's completed or for me to post chapters as they're finished?**_


	3. Chapter 7 and 8

**Thanks for responding about how you prefer me to post stories. I'll continue posting "Orion" as each stage is completed (it's done in my head- just not in on paper). My next story I'll post as a complete story. Again, thanks for reading and please leave your comments and critique!**

 **Chapter 7**

When Stella was a little girl, her mother would read her nursery rhymes. She liked most of them, but she hated the rhyme about little girls being made of "sugar and spice and everything nice." She knew that she was too wild, too busy, and sometimes too mad, to be the girls described in that poem. So whenever she heard it, she would feel bad, like she'd somehow failed her mom. No matter how hard she tried, she would never be the little girl she should be.

Looking around the crowded room now, Stella was reminded of that feeling again, like she was a big disappointment. That somehow, she wasn't who she was supposed to be.

She sat with Trisha, Orion, Jessie, Slade and Justice in a comfortable room, and she listened to them tell her about New Species Gift females. She was horrified, and she felt incredibly guilty, because somehow, by some miracle of fate, she had ended up with her family, and not some sick man's play thing.

"We're trying to figure out who was after you," Justice said, "From what you've told us, they knew you were a Gift. Did they say anything else to you?"

Stella thought back, trying to remember, but at the same time, wanting to shut her eyes to the memories. She tried to separate herself from them, to add a distance that wasn't there when she experienced the events of the day.

She couldn't think, she just kept picturing her mother's face, hearing her father yell out, then the cracking sound of the shot that took his horror of those moments, bits of phrases, snapshots of expressions were burned into her brain.

"The man who killed my dad," she tripped over the word _killed_ and cleared her throat, "he said that he had stolen from his family."

"He must have stolen you, Stella," Justice replied.

"No," Stella answered, "My parents adopted me. I was born in Italy, and they moved to the United States when I was little. My mom is Ethiopian, and my dad is Italian; my dad's family wasn't happy about him marrying my mother. So they came here with me. But they had my birth certificate, from my adoption. They showed it to me."

"There's no way, Stella," Justice said kindly, "Gifts were only given to extremely wealthy men. And every Gift we have found has been guarded zealously. They have been the hardest of all New Species to locate. You wouldn't have just been abandoned at an orphanage."

Stella pulled her hair to the side of her head and started wrapping and unwrapping it around her fingers, "I was older when they adopted me," she said slowly, looking up at the serious faces watching her, but lingering on Orion, "I only have a few memories of my life before my adoption. They…" she stopped, "They aren't good. But I remember leaving the orphanage, seeing my mom for the first time and my dad…" she trailed off, remembering her dad's eyes, and something else.

She looked over at Orion, her eyes big and she stood up quickly, "Is there a restroom or something?"

Trisha stood up, pointing, and Slade rose with her. Stella couldn't help it, she took a step back, it made her crash into her chair and trip.

"I'll show you," Orion said, steadying her, "We'll be right back," he said and grasped her elbow, leading her into the hallway. He didn't say a word as he led her through the building, but something about his touch soothed her. He pointed to a door and said, "I'll wait for you here."  
"Thanks," Stella said.

She walked into the bathroom and went right to the toilet, throwing up the little amount of food she had left in her stomach.

She tried to slow her breathing, bracing her hands on the toilet, but then throwing up again. She flushed and went to the sink, running the cold water and splashing it on her face and taking a long drink. She took a paper towel and dried her face, looked into the mirror and stopped.

She examined her face like she never had before. Her eyes were wide and slightly tilted. Her cheekbones, she always thought, were her best feature. Her mother said she looked like Sophia Loren or Brigitte Bardot, all eyes and pouty mouth.

But now her features meant something else, they didn't mean _exotic_ or _classic_ , they meant different. She was different. She stared into her eyes, moving closer, her pupils were round; she'd noticed one of the other Gifts, who must also be feline, had slits for pupils. But there was no denying it, she was New Species.

Her memories, nightmares really, from before her adoption were related to this. She could remember terror, hunger, pain. She remembered being cold and being uncomfortable, not being able to move or stretch. Like she was in a cage.

As the thought passed through her brain, an image followed. She saw her hands, curled around a wire floor, trying to hold herself steady as it moved around. She saw the ground through the bottom of the cage, bright white marble that she knew would hurt, and then she saw it rushing up to her as she fell toward it. She heard a laugh, a big laugh, and she looked up at a face, with features that terrified her; a long nose, fleshy lips, small eyes. He kneeled down next to her and poked a finger at her. She moved as far away as she could, making her tiny body even tinier. And over his shoulder, her father's face, looking angry with narrowed brown eyes.

Stella gasped. _Oh God. Oh God. Oh God._ She stared at herself, willing calm. She was going to lose it. She could sense it.

 _No._ She told herself, _keep it together._

She watched her eyes fill up with tears and they slowly spilled over. She let out a little hiccup and a gasp and clamped her hands over her mouth. The door to the bathroom opened quickly, and she looked, wide eyed at Orion, who hesitated only a second before entering and gathering her in his arms.

 **Chapter 8**

Orion heard Stella get sick. He stood outside the door, fists clenched at his side and fought with himself. He wanted to walk in there and take care of her, but he was afraid he would embarrass her. All of her body language earlier showed him she was hanging onto her pride by a thread.

She had been at the mercy of her instincts when she had fought Slade, and after, when she came back to herself and could think rationally, Orion saw her crumble. She had been so apologetic. The firecracker personality, the one that had saved her life and gotten her away from the men chasing her, the one tied closely to her instincts that said, "fight" and not "freeze," was being slowly chipped away with each blow she was dealt.

So when he heard her tiny, quickly muffled cry, he didn't wait, he opened the door.

She looked at his with wide, golden brown eyes spilling over with tears, hands clamped tightly to her mouth, and he felt his heart split open.

He followed his instincts. He stopped second guessing himself and he acted, pulling her into his arms, and wrapping her tightly against him.

He felt her tense; one hand came up, laid flat against his chest as if she would push him away, so he whispered in her ear, "I've got you."

He bowed his head over hers. He was so much bigger that he had to bend his knees to lay his cheek against her head. He breathed in her scent, underneath the smell of pine and dirt, of blood and fear, was her scent. It was spice and heat, and completely captivating. He breathed in again, wanting to taste it, to surround himself in it, until it overwhelmed everything else.

The moment his head touched hers, she deflated. Her hand came away from her mouth and wrapped around his neck, pulling his head closer to hers. The other hand on his chest wrapped tightly in his shirt, keeping him close to her, anchoring them together.

And she started to cry.

She stopped trying to hold in her pain, and it swept over them, making her body tremble and shake. She didn't scream or sob. It just spilled out of her like a wave. It was so much more heartbreaking than if she had yelled or fought, because this was sadness born of the realization that she had lost everything. Not only her family, but what her family had meant, what her past had meant; everything was different now, everything had to be re-evaluated and re-examined.

"What do I do?" she asked, pulling away from him, her eyes searching his face.

Orion took a deep breath, "I don't know…" he stopped. He couldn't tell her that.

He tried again, "When I was first released from Mercile," he said, looking over her head at the wall, trying to pick up the threads of his runaway thoughts, "everything I knew was challenged. I had only known cruelty, force, hunger," he paused and looked down at her.

She bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She moved both of her hands to rest against his chest. She looked at him like he had all the answers, and he was simultaneously thrilled and terrified.

"The only humans I knew were evil. They hurt me in ways that now…" he cleared his throat, "that even now I have trouble believing actually happened."

Her eyes continued to pierce him, waiting, "I couldn't have friends, or form relationships with others like me, other New Species, because if the humans saw, then they would exploit it. They would get me to do things by threatening to hurt the ones I cared about…So I thought the best thing was to be alone. To deny any relationships and push away everyone."

He kept going, watching her watching him, "That's how I picked my name. I chose it after a constellation of stars. I thought I could be like the stars. Millions of miles from others, but still somehow related. I would be set apart, in silence. So even though if you looked at me from a distance, thinking I was part of a group, I wouldn't be. No one could touch me."

"Did you..." Stella paused, "are you still alone? Is it better that way?"

Orion shook his head, "No, because I didn't really want to be alone. I thought it was safer alone. I thought I could be part of something but still be on my own, but life doesn't work that way. At least, I didn't like my life working that way. Don't get me wrong, I tried to push people away, keep to myself, but there was so much to do here, so much to get started and establish for New Species, that I couldn't be alone. And then I didn't want to be alone. I wanted to make things better for New Species, and I ended up part of something. So my name came to mean something else to me. Instead meaning of being distant and separate, it meant a being a small part of something bright and enduring."

He had looked away during the last part, but now he met her eyes again. He'd just bared his soul to her, so he met her gaze with no small amount of trepedation. What he saw in her eyes wasn't pity or embarrassment. She looked awestruck.

She shook her head, "I don't know if I'm that strong, Orion," she said.

A thrill went through him when she said his name. He let his hands move across her back, adoring the feel of her against his fingers and palms.

"You are," he said, with complete conviction, "you'll see. I could tell the moment I met you."

Stella snorted and Orion smiled. There was that spark.

"Okay," he allowed, "after I got over my initial shock at seeing the tiniest female ever. Once I realized what you'd done to survive, I knew you were strong. Everything about you says 'fighter'."

Stella gave him a little smile, just the corner of her mouth. Orion traced her plump lower lip with his thumb, "You're not alone. You might not see it now, but you will. Just like I did."

Stella's eyes widened, and her hand left his shirt to stop his thumb. He saw her pupils flare and he was hit with the scent of her sudden arousal. She held his thumb to her lips, and puckering them, gave him a soft kiss, right on the pad.

Orion's nostrils flared; it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen anyone do. She didn't look away from his eyes, and kissed it again, and then...

She bit him.

A tiny sharp bite, right on the center of his thumb, and Orion lost control.

She weighed nothing when he picked her up. One step and he had her pinned against the wall so he could kiss her. Her legs wrapped around his waist without hesitation, and she was just as wild as he was.

Her kisses were hard and needy. Her tongue demanding entry into his mouth. Her hands reached up to his head, and tugged at his hair. She pulled the elastic holding it back, and moaned as she ran her fingers through it.

She pulled her mouth away and he chased her. He gave her quick hard kisses, as she moved her head from side to side, teasing him. He laughed, low in his throat, before he caught her and deepened the kiss. She laughed too, smiling against his lips even as he sucked her tongue into his mouth and traced her teeth with his tongue.

A sharp rap at the door made him rear back, but he was immediately amused when Stella growled and snapped, "I'm fine! We're fine!"

He heard a throat clear on the other side of the door, "Orion?" It was Justice.

"Yeah," he answered, "How are you?"

Stella started laughing; happy laughter that died a second later when she realized she was laughing. Her legs dropped from his waist and he allowed her to push him away.

She seemed to harden right before his eyes, "I'll be right out," she called.

Orion heard Justice walking away, but he didn't take his eyes from Stella, who wouldn't quite meet his.

"I'm sorry," she said.

 _So this is how it's going to go,_ Orion thought.

"No," Orion said, trying to maintain his dignity while adjusting himself through his pants, "I get it. You didn't mean to."

Stella interrupted him and finally met his eyes, "No!" she said, "No! I totally meant to kiss you. I just, I'm just apologizing because it wasn't the right time to do that. No. I wanted to kiss you."

Orion felt a blush rise up to his cheeks, "Oh."

"My head's really fucked up right now," Stella said, walking toward him and slowly reaching out a hand to tangle her fingers with Orion's, "You just told me this really personal story, that was so beautiful, and I just, mauled you. And I really want to do it again. But I keep thinking about my parents and… everything."

Orion heard her, and was overwhelmed, "It's okay," he said, amazed by her honesty, "I wanted to. I want to again, too."

"Yeah?" Stella asked shyly, peering up at him in a way that would have looked contrived on anyone else. Except on her, it came from her surprise that her bluntness was met with equal directness.

"Yeah." Orion said, "But you're right. This has been a terrible day, and we need to end it. I'll talk to Justice and we'll get you settled somewhere. The rest we'll deal with tomorrow."

Stella's shoulders slumped in relief, "Okay."


	4. chapters 9-13

**Chapter 9**

Stella had spend four years living in a dorm at college. She hadn't had the money to move off-campus, so she'd gotten really good at ignoring noise. Stella had slept through it all: roommates bringing back hook-ups, around-the-world alcohol themed room-hopping, drunken neighbors pounding on the door demanding to be let in, she'd seen a lot.

College dorms couldn't compare with New Species'.

Jessie had set her up in a dorm room with other New Species females. She had argued for a little while with Trisha and Justice about where she should go. Trisha thought she'd be more comfortable in the hotel and Jessie wanted her safe, surrounded by other New Species. She'd actually fallen asleep, waiting for them to decide and was roused by Orion, snarling out, "Make a decision."

"Just take me anywhere," she'd added, not very helpfully, "I just need a bed. Or leave me here, this chair will work."

There was an open bed in the female dorms, and she'd been bundled up, moved, and crashed into bed before she'd even known what was happening.

But the respite didn't last very long.

She shot upright out of bed what felt like moments later when a loud howl echoed through the building. It was paired with snarling and growling. Stella had crept to her door, making sure it was locked, and then pulled the pillow over her head. She figured she was safe, and honestly? She didn't really care if there was a gang fight outside her door; she just wanted to sleep.

Her eyes had closed when the entire wall next to her bed shook like someone had crashed into it. She heard a lamp break. She waited a moment. This seemed more serious. Another sound of breaking glass made her spring into action. She ran out her door and pounded on the door next to hers. A very naked and very aroused New Species male opened the door.

Stella took a giant step backwards, "Uh, is everything okay?" she asked, blushing and stammering.

A tan arm opened the door wider and a New Species female looked at her with narrowed eyes, "We are fine," she said, "Go back to your room, Feline." And she slammed the door in Stella's face.

Stella shook her head and moved as fast as she could to her room. She fell into bed and turned onto her side, pulling her legs into her chest, and grasping her pillow tightly. The wall next to the bed continued to vibrate with sounds getting louder and wilder-sounding.

She had never felt so utterly alone.

Unbidden, her mom's face came to her and she remembered her first week at college. She'd called her mom crying the first night, and then the next morning, and then again in between every class. She had begged her mom to come and get her; telling her she'd take online classes or classes at a closer univeristy. But her mom had refused to pick her up. She'd told her to tough it out, that she was fine, and that she had every confidence in her. She said to get out, make friends, talk to professors, join a club. So Stella had. She'd joined a running club, starting talking to a girl next to her in an English class. It had turned out okay.

She took a deep breath. She would be okay again. She would. She kept telling herself that over and over. She'd almost fallen to sleep when there was another howl. This one almost next to her ear and she was wide awake again.

 _Son of a…_

She didn't let herself think about it, she just left her room and started pounding on the door next to hers. The same angry looking female opened the door, this time much more disshelved and sweaty, but still just as naked.

"Listen," she said as the female opened her mouth, "I've had the worst day of my life. My entire family was murdered. I found out I'm not who I thought I was. But I do know one thing: if you make any more noise, in fact, if I hear one more sound from this entire floor, I'm gonna lose my shit. I may not be as big or as…" she swept her hand up and down to indicate the female's size and strength, "... whatever as you. But I can be mean. And I will figure out some way to hurt you if you keep me awake another minute."

The female's eyes widened as she spoke, and her mouth opened and closed as she searched for a response. Finally, she closed her mouth and smiled, "It's nice to meet you," she said, "Consider me warned." And with fleeting smile she turned around and closed the door.

Stella sighed and went back into her room, locking it and propping a chair against it, just in case, because she had just threatened a New Species she was pretty sure could tear her head off in one smooth move if she wanted.

Stella fell face first onto her bed, and crawled toward her pillow, closing her eyes. The next thing she knew the sun was shining directly into her face and there was a phone ringing somewhere in her room.

She sat up, rubbing her eyes and searching the room. She found it near the door and answered it, "Hello?"  
"Stella?" the voice said, "This is Jessie North. We met last night?"  
Stella rubbed her eyes and looked around the room, "Hi Jessie."  
"Hi," Jessie said, "Look, I'm sorry to do this to you, but I need to come and get you. We got a call from the FBI. They're looking into your parent's murder and want to talk to you. Do you feel up to it?"  
"Now?" Stella asked.

"No," Jessie said, "About two hours. I have someone on the way to your room with clothes and toiletries so you can clean up. I was going to get you for breakfast."

Stella's stomach plummeted at Jessie's words, and she had to clear her throat multiple times in order to speak, "Okay," she said, in a hoarse voice.

"Okay," Jessie answered, "I'll come to your room. See you soon."  
"Thanks," Stella answered, not sure if that was the right sentiment, "See you soon."

A knock at her door happened almost immediately after she hung up the phone. She dragged the chair away from the door and opened it. The female from last night stood there, holding a bag, "Hello again," she said, smiling and flashing sharp teeth at her.

"Hello," Stella said, reaching out a hand, "You seem chipper this morning."

The female laughed, "You are much feistier than the other Gifts. I like you. Here are your clothes and toiletries."  
"Thanks," Stella said and moving to close the door.

"Wait!" the female called out, sticking her foot in the door, "I wanted to apologize."

"No need," Stella said, "I'm the one who should apologize. I'm sorry I interrupted."

"You're a Gift," the female said, "You haven't had much experience with New Species sharing sex, I realized. I appreciate that you came to help, despite your size and…" she waved her hand up and down to indicate Stella, "everything."

Stella laughed, "You're welcome," she said, and then sticking out her hand said, "I'm Stella."

The female reached out her hand and took it, not shaking it exactly, and Stella wondered if she'd made some sort of New Species faux pas, "I'm Vicious."  
"Good name," Stella said, "Thanks again."  
Vicious removed her foot from the door, "I will bring you dancing with the other females tonight. They will like you as much as I do. I'll see you at eight."

Stella's mouth dropped open, "No. I can't," but Vicious was already moving down the hall.

"Eight o'clock!" she called, "See you then."

"No," Stella's voice trailed off because Vicious had already turned the corner. Stella doubted she'd even be here tonight. She needed to find a way to go home, organize funerals, get her things together. Her whole body clenched at what was still ahead of her.

Stella dumped the contents of the bag on the bed that she hadn't even untucked last night. There was a pair of jeans, some socks, and a sweatshirt, and the biggest pair of granny panties she'd ever seen.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she said to herself, holding up the giant white cotton briefs.

"Nuh uh. No way. Thanks but no thanks. I'll go without."

She found a couple of pairs of athletic shorts and t-shirts, along with additional granny panties and socks.

She grabbed the toiletries and went into the bathroom, running the water as hot as it would go and stepping inside. She let the water run over her and tipped her head back, sudsing up her hair. Every time a thought about her parents intruded, she shoved it away, instead thinking about meeting the FBI agents or what she'd have for breakfast. Anything that would keep her from losing her shit.

She looked down at the tub, the water was pink and brown. One foot was dirty and the other foot was clean. She remembered Orion telling her what he thought when he found her in the tree, and she smiled, hoping she would see him again before she left.

She grabbed a face cloth and started scrubbing her skin. The dirt came away and all that was left were angry pink scratches.

Stella wasn't sure how much time had passed. She was afraid that Jessie may be standing outside her door, waiting for her so she jumped out of the shower. She didn't even look in the mirror while she brushed her teeth. She spit, covered her face in lotion, and got into her clothes, minus the ginormous underwear. She was just lacing up the athletic shoes she found in the bottom of the bag when there was a knock at her door.

Jessie stood there, looking fresh faced but with small blueish shadows under her eyes. Stella immediately felt guilty, knowing her situation was the one that had kept Jessie out late.

"I'm sorry you had to do so much last night," she said, closing the door behind her.

Jessie touched under her eyes, "Oh! No. It wasn't you. We have a new…," she stopped, "...kitten. He's keeping me up at night."  
Stella nodded in relief, "Oh," she said, "Why don't you just lock it in a room at night?"  
Jessie laughed, "Um," she said, "I don't really feel comfortable doing that."

Stella shrugged.

"Do you mind if we grab something on the way? I thought we'd have time to sit and eat, but Justice said they'll be here earlier than we expected."  
Stella rubbed her hands on her jeans, palms suddenly sweaty, "No that's fine. I'm not really hungry anyway."

She and Jessie walked down a path, and Stella couldn't help notice the sidelong glances, along with outright stares that she was getting. One New Species male actually stopped walking and turned around, starting to follow her. Stella ignored it, but after a while, it started to make her nervous. Jessie didn't even seem to notice, or if she did, it was alright with her.

It was not alright with Stella; she turned around, "Can I help you?" she asked.

The male looked surprised, "You are a Gift."

"My name is Stella," she said, "Did you want something else? Or are you just labeling today?" She started pointing around her, "Tree. Building. Road. Cart. Jessie. Stella. Anything else?"

The male laughed, "You are making fun of me, but I am not insulted. I was just curious. Part of being feline, yes?" He winked at her.

It was such an odd look on his face that Stella reared back. She looked at Jessie, "Do I look like that when I wink?" She winked at her and Jessie burst out laughing.

"No. It doesn't look anything like that," Jessie giggled.

"Phew," Stella said. "Now," she turned back to the New Species, "My name is Stella. If you have any other questions, or need help labeling anything else, maybe you could find me later?"

"I am interested in you Stella," the male said, "My name is Magic. Because of my…"  
Jessie stopped him, "Okay okay, Magic. Enough. We need to go."  
Magic nodded and turned back in the direction he'd originally been walking, "Goodbye Stella, I will tell you about my magical parts later."  
Stella nearly choked, "Bye," she finally got out.

Magic gave her one more disconcerting wink and went on his way.

"You certainly have the New Species' gift of directness," Jessie said as they continued walking.

She held open the door to another building, "There's a kiosk inside with breakfast stuff, and then we can head right into Justice's office."

Stella nodded, "I guess so. I'm sorry. I'll try to be nicer. I used to get… well, my size made it hard sometimes. People would cut me in line at school, or push me around, so I learned to have a really big mouth. I'll…"

Jessie grabbed a couple apples and granola bars, before nodding in another direction, "Go get yourself coffee. No one should have to be nice before caffeine."

Stella felt her shoulders slump. She'd really stuck her foot in her mouth. Again. At this rate, the New Species were going to be glad when she left.

She made her coffee the way she liked it and headed back to Jessie.

"Don't change, Stella," Jessie said, leading the way to the elevator, "We're not used to Gift females being so direct. They are usually much more timid. It is surprising and I think, delightful. You're definitely amusing." Jessie chuckled to herself before taking a bite of apple.

Stella closed her eyes and took a gulp of coffee, loving the burn, "Glad I can amuse," she said.

The door opened to a wide bright floor. Jessie went right to an office and opened the door without knocking. Justice stood up from behind his desk, a smile on his face when he saw Jessie. He came quickly around the desk and kissed her. Not a quick peck either. Stella was starting to get the idea that anything New Species did, they did bigger and louder than anyone else. It was sort of endearing.

"Hi Stella," Justice said, "Sleep well?"  
Stella had just taken a sip of coffee and with Justice's question, all the events of the night in the dorm came back to her and she choked. It went right up her nose, but luckily not out. Jessie quickly took her coffee and started pounding her on the back while Justice started laughing.

"I take it no one warned you about the dorms before they dropped you off?" he said.

"I thought I'd be prepared," Stella said, still coughing, "I had just moved out of one."

Justice laughed but cut off when the phone rang.

"Justice," he answered.

"What?" he snarled, "I don't want him here. Don't let him back on Reservation," Justice looked over at Jessie who cocked her head. Justice continued to listen with narrowed eyes.

"Fine," he said, "But call Hill, and I want Vengeance here. Yeah, send Breeze and Flame to their house. Okay."  
Justice hung up the phone and sighed, running his hand through his hair and then readjusting the elastic that held it back.

Stella's stomach knotted more and more as his conversation went on, and she found she needed to sit down by the time he was done.

Justice looked at Jessie as he started talking, "That was Tiger," he said, and looking at Stella explained, "He's one of our security heads. The FBI is here, but they have Senator Halpern with them."

"What?" Jessie asked, "Why is he here?"

"I don't know," Justice said, "He wouldn't tell Tiger, but I'm sure he's been waiting for an opportunity to get back on Reservation."

Justice's phone rang again and he answered it quickly, "Justice."  
"Hi Jacob," he said, "Yeah? Okay. Well that explains it better I guess. Okay. Bye."

He hung up again and started talking, "That was Senator Hill. He's Jessie's father and he let me know that Halpern is on an Organized Crime committee. Not to be stereotypical, but I'm guessing your family was somehow connected to the mafia, Stella."  
Stella just sat. It would make sense, but, "My parents weren't wealthy," she said, "They both worked full-time. There were no marble floors or trips to the opera."

"I guess we're about to find out," Justice said, and held a hand out to Jessie, "I don't suppose you would consider leaving?" he said.

"Nope," Jessie said, popping the "p" on the word.

Justice snarled, "Fine."

The door slammed open and Vengeance strode in, "Why is he here?" he snarled at Justice in a way that made Stella's heart pound, "He's not supposed to be allowed onto Reservation."  
Justice held his hands out, "I know, Ven," he said, "But it has something to do with Stella. He said he had more information about Gifts. I had to let him on."  
Vengeance roared and Stella jumped in her seat, "It has nothing to do with her!" he said loudly, "You know that! It has everything to do with Blue! I will rip him apart!"

Vengeance began pacing the office. Stella was frozen in her chair, wanting to move, but afraid she would set off the huge agitated male. Stella could almost feel the rage coming off of him in waves.

Stella cleared her throat, and Vengeance pinned her with an angry stare, "This guy," she said, trying to infuse calm into her voice, but probably failing, "might know something about why my parents were killed. Can you wait until he spills his guts to rip them out?"  
Vengeance stared at her a moment, then threw his head back and laughed, "I don't think I can make a promise like that." he said, "This man hurt my mate. Badly."

Stella swallowed, "Oh," she said, "Okay then. I get it. Should I leave for the disemboweling? Do you want me to come back?"

Vengeance laughed again, but it was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Stella," Justice said, "You and Jessie sit over here." He indicated two chairs near his desk. Stella moved quickly.

"Ven," he said, "Can you stand here?" He pointed to a corner of the room, "And wait to maim?"

"I will try," Vengeance ground out, "but I promised him last time I would kill him. And you know I hate to break a promise."  
"Understood," Justice said, and then called out, "Come in."  
The door opened and three people entered. First came two nearly identically dressed men. Both tall and serious looking, though one was much older, and had kinder eyes. The third man entered last and he was ridiculously good looking. He was well over six feet, had really striking blue eyes, and a dimple, right in his chin. He looked like an older All-American football player. But his eyes were cold, and there was… Stella sniffed… it was almost a stink coming off of him that turned her stomach. This man was bad. He made her want to disappear, and when he turned his cold stare on her, she wanted to slink away.

"Justice," the man said, "It's good to see you again."  
A slight growl from the corner made the man jump, but try to hide his reaction, "Vengeance," he said, "How are my son and Eliza?"

Vengeance growled louder and stepped toward him, "Keep talking, Halpern."

So this was the senator, Stella realized. The one that had hurt Vengeance's mate. It certainly fit with the overall aura of evil that surrounded him.

"What can we do for you gentlemen?" Justice asked politely, though coldly.

Senator Halpern sat in a chair, and leaned back, crossing one leg and unbuttoning his coat. He gestured to the FBI agents, "This is their show," he said.

Stella met the gaze of one of the agents and he smiled at her reassuringly before he started speaking, "I'm Agent Fairly," he said, "and this is my partner, Agent Rolla. We were wondering if you would talk to us about your family."

Stella cleared her throat, "Why is the FBI investigating my family's murder?" she asked, not ready to talk about her family yet, "and not the police?"  
Agent Fairly nodded, "Your father, Gino Turner," he said quietly, "He was part of an organized crime family for many years. His name is actually Giacomo Princetti. He is the youngest son of Luca Princetti, Don of the Princetti syndicate."

Stella's eyes widened, "What?" she shook her head, "No. I think… no." The last was uttered desperately. A hand reached over and took Stella's. Jessie.

"I'm sorry," Agent Fairly continued, "Giacomo was working undercover for us. He was feeding information to the FBI about the family's activities, but then he disappeared twenty years ago. We assumed that he'd been made and they'd killed him, especially since his wife, Carla, disappeared with him."

Stella continued to stare at them, trying to make sense of what he was saying.

"Your father," the Agent said, "had just told us that Luca had been receiving girls, as gifts from a pharmaceutical company called Mercile Industries. We assumed it had to do with human trafficking. Twenty years ago we had no idea what Mercile was up to. We had just started to look into Mercile's activity when he disappeared. We still tracked Princetti, but…"  
"We couldn't get anything to nail him with, not without your father," Agent Rollo interrupted, "Then, two weeks ago, Princetti send two Enforcers here. We followed them, expecting they'd go to New York, or Chicago, but they came to California. They went to a university, and they watched a graduation. That's where we found your father and mother, and you."  
"They were at my graduation?" Stella asked.

"Yes," Rollo confirmed, "They never approached your family, but they watched you."  
"Why didn't you warn them?" Stella asked, her voice trembling, "They would have been careful! You could have helped them!"

Senator Halpern cleared his throat, "That wasn't their job. Your father chose to disappear. It was no longer their job to protect him."

Stella noticed Agent Fairly clenching his teeth, a muscle ticking in his jaw, "You wanted to tell them, didn't you?"

Agent Fairly didn't answer, but Stella could sense something. _Truth._

"We need your help Stella," Senator Halpern said. Stella looked over at him as he regarded her smugly.

 _Lie,_ Stella's body told her, though she couldn't tell how she knew.

"We want you to come with us," Halpern continued, "We think that if we make you available to the Princetti's, they'll approach you. Probably try to grab you. We won't let them, obviously"

 _Lie,_ Stella thought.

"But we will arrest whoever grabs you. Hopefully we can get them to turn and tell us where the other Gifts are."

 _Lie,_ Stella thought again.

Agent Fairly cleared his throat, "We know that Luca Princetti has more Gifts, but they aren't our focus."

Justice snarled quietly, "You knew he had Gifts and you didn't tell us?"

Agent Fairly looked just as angry, "We were not allowed to disclose information about an ongoing case," he explained. His eyes darting to Halpern.

"There are hundreds of millions of dollars tied up in that family," Halpern said, "We're investigating money laundering, human trafficking, tax evasion. There is an endless list. All of that would be compromised."  
 _Lie. Lie. Lie._

This guy was full of shit and Stella had had enough.

"What do you really want?" Stella said, "You're not investigating my parents' murder. You know who killed them. Why don't you get them?"  
Halpern smiled, "Didn't Justice tell you?" he said, plastering a sympathetic look on his face, "The men who killed your parents are here. On Reservation."  
Stella looked at Justice for confirmation. Though he looked angry, he nodded, "We have them here, Stella," he said.

Her heart pounded and her mouth dried, "Then why?" she asked, "Why would you tell me that you needed my help?" she asked the agents, when what she really wanted to do was scream at Justice.

Agent Fairly sat up straight, "What we would like, Stella," he said, "is to send you back to the Princettis so you can get us information about what they're doing, who they're meeting with. If you find other Gifts, that's a bonus, but it's not our goal."

The room exploded into snarls and growls, but Stella didn't move. She just sat and let it wash over her.

 _Truth_ , she realized.

 **Chapter 10**

Orion stood on the wall, watching the protesters and checking his watch. It was still early. He had another hour of work left and he assumed Stella would still be sleeping.

His gaze moved along the throngs of humans, skipping over the one old lady flashing her breasts, and another younger woman holding up a sign that said, "Mate me!"

Stella.

Orion smiled to himself. She was a challenge. Unlike the other Gift females he'd met, she was not shy or unassuming. If she was as big as her personality, she would have been seven feet tall. Orion hardened in his uniform, turning to the side to adjust himself. He had nearly come in his pants when she bit his thumb with her sharp little teeth. She didn't have the canines most New Species had, but she'd managed to nip him without them.

Orion shook his head, trying to get his head back on task.

Tiger's voice came over the radio, "FBI and Senator Halpern will be exiting. Remember to check Halpern for recording devices and to return the cell phone."

Orion watched the men enter the security office. A black sedan pulled up to the gates, and Jericho jumped out of the front seat. He came up the stairs and stood next to Orion, "I'm surprised Vengeance let that asshole leave alive," he said.

"Was he back to bother Blue again?" Orion asked.

"Probably," Jericho answered, "but he came with the FBI agents and they were questioning the Gift that arrived last night."

"Stella?" Orion asked, his voice lowering. _Why had no one told him?_

"Yes," Jericho answered, "I think that's her name. Though some of the New Species males have started calling her Sparky."  
Orion snarled and Jericho's eyes widened, "What the hell, Orion?" he asked.

"Where is Stella?" he asked.

"I don't know," Jericho said, "why do you care?"  
 _Because she's my Gift,_ Orion thought. "I met her yesterday. I want to make sure she's okay," was what he said aloud.

"Oh," Jericho said, "you can probably find out when your shift is done."

Orion looked at his watch. He still had forty-five minutes left.

"Tiger," he radioed.

"Go ahead," Tiger's voice replied.

"This is Orion. Send someone to replace me on the wall."  
"Negative," Tiger radioed back, "You have forty-five minutes left of your shift. Suck it up."

"God damnit, Tiger," Orion snarled.

There was only static on the other end. Orion roared in frustration.

"What is your problem?" Jericho asked.

Orion walked back and forth, watching the humans and trying to calm himself. Jericho continued to watch him warily. Every once and a while, he would attempt to engage Orion in conversation, but Orion wouldn't respond. He merely observed the humans and waited for his shift to be up.

Magic jumped up next to him, "Anything I should know before you leave?" he asked, taking his spot next to Orion.

"No," he growled, already leaving, "Boobs, boobs, assholes, boobs."

"Awesome," Magic said drily.

Orion jumped off the wall, returned his weapon, and took off at a run for Justice's office. He tore through the doors and into the building, hitting the button for the elevator, and when it didn't arrive immediately, taking the stairs.

He went into Justice's office without knocking. Vengeance, Tiger, Justice, and Jessie all looked at him surprised.  
"What's going on Orion?" Tiger asked. He looked at his watch, "Please tell me you waited for your replacement before you left your station."

"What did the FBI agents want with Stella?" he ignored Tiger's question.

Vengeance started laughing, "Oh. This is good. You want her," he said, "You picked the prickly Gift to be your mate. I will enjoy this."  
Orion glared at Vengeance, "Shut up," and turning toward Justice said, "Talk."  
Justice seemed amused as well, but at least attempted to hide it, "They want her to be bait, essentially."

"No," Orion said.

"Of course, 'no,'" Justice replied, "but they also said there are more Gifts where Stella came from."

Orion rubbed a hand over his mouth, "Is the Task Force on it?"

"Yes," Justice said, "but we have a problem."

It was Vengeance's turn to growl, "Halpern took the opportunity to come back to Reservation. He said that if Stella didn't come with them, they wouldn't be able to share the information they have about the other Gifts. Then, before he left, he said that he could also be talked into sharing that information if he could meet with Blue and Asher. In the Out World."  
"He's an idiot," Orion said, "She would never agree to that."  
"Of course not," Vengeance said, "But he's holding the Gifts above our head. If Blue finds out… I can't be sure of her reaction."

"She would never put Asher at risk like that," Jessie said, "especially now."

"No," Vengeance said, "but she will feel bad. And I will be angry."

"Where's Stella now?" Orion asked anxiously.

"We brought her back to the dorms. She said she wanted to go running," Jessie said.

"What?!" Orion sputtered, "You let her? What if she goes into the Wild Zone? They might see her as prey. They might…"  
"I dropped her off at the hotel gym," Jessie said, "No one was there. I'm sure she's fine."

Orion smothered the growl rising in his throat, knowing that Justice would react poorly to him growling at his mate, and opened the door to leave.

"Let me know when you want mate papers," Justice called.

He heard Vengeance laughing as he slammed the door behind him.

Orion sprinted to the hotel, "Where's the gym?" he asked the New Species at the front desk. She pointed at a sign and he took off. As he turned a corner, following the signs to the gym, he found a group of New Species males crowding the entryway. They stood, unmoving, and staring. Orion felt his blood pressure rising and his fists clenching.

The scent hit him a second later. It was the most mouth water and appealing scent he had ever come across. He elbowed his way between the males, who growled at him, apparently enjoying the scent as much as he was, and stopped cold.

Stella was running on a treadmill. Her back was to the males, and he could see wires leading from her ears to an ipod attached at her waist. Her skin gleamed wetly with sweat. Her dark hair was up in a ponytail and swung from side to side as she ran, curls that had escaped from her ponytail stuck to her neck. Her legs were toned and her feet stretched in front of her and landed softly with each stride.

He had never seen someone her size run that fast. Her legs were a blur and he watched her hand come up and push a button on the machine. It elevated the front of the machine and sped up. Her legs moved faster, but she continued to run without a hitch in her step. Her breath came in fast pants, a little louder, and he heard a male groan behind him.

"I'm going to come in my pants if she keeps that up," he said.

 _Fuck that._

Orion strode toward Stella and swept her up off the treadmill.

"What the hell?" she screeched, looking up at him and pulling earbuds from her ears, "What do you think you're doing?" She pushed at Orion's chest but he didn't let her down.

He heard growls from the males and he moved Stella behind his back.

"Move away from the Gift, Orion," one said, "We know she smells good, but you can't have her."

"Oh, Jesus," Stella said under her breath and walked around Orion.

"Stella," he warned.

"Stuff a sock in it Dimples," she said and continued out of the gym, pushing the males out of her way when they didn't move on their own.

"Stella!" he called after her, and started to follow.

One of the males blocked his way, "Let her go," he said.

"Get out of my way," he growled, and pushed him. The male retaliated and pushed back. Orion followed the push with a punch. Hands grabbed him from behind, pinning his arms while he snarled, struggled, and tried to bite.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys?" Stella had obviously heard the scuffle and come back. He heard her swift intake of breath, "Let him go!" she demanded.

"We cannot, Female," one of the males explained, "he is agitated and might try to harm you."

Stella snorted and Orion found himself smiling despite his anger, "Let him go," she reiterated, "He won't hurt me. I'll even let him walk me home."

The hands released him and Orion shrugged them off, walking quickly to Stella and grasping her arm, "Let's go," he said.

She pulled her arm away, "Walk, Dimples. Not drag," she said.

Orion only growled and led her out of the hotel. He didn't trust himself to speak the whole way to the dorm. Stella wasn't inclined to speak either and he could sense her anger, confusion, and unhappiness.

"Which floor?" he asked when they got into the elevator. Rather than answer, she just jammed a button and crossed her arms.

"I wasn't done my run," she said to him quietly, seething.

"You were done alright," Orion replied.

She turned to look at him, "I work things out when I run. I didn't work anything out today!"

Orion groaned, "You were much too enticing to those males."

"Not on purpose," Stella argued. The elevator stopped and she dragged Orion out, leading him to a door at the end of the hallway.

Orion followed her and shut the door behind them, before quickly going across the room to open a window.

"Do I stink?" Stella asked, her cheeks reddening.

"No," he could barely form the words.

"Why didn't you call me before you met with the FBI agents?" he asked.

"Why would I?" Stella seemed perplexed.

Orion stopped. _Why, indeed._

"Do you feel anything?" he asked.

"What?" Stella's voiced trembled, hurt.

He was doing this all wrong, "Between us, I mean. Do you feel anything between us?"

Stella walked to the bed and sat down. She didn't look away from his face, "Yes," she said quietly, "I feel something."

"Then why wouldn't you let me help you?" he asked.  
"Orion," Stella sighed. She reached up and took her hair out of the ponytail, then lifted her arms to fix it.

Orion watched her chest rise as her arms moved above her head, and he had a sudden vision of pinning her beneath him and holding her hands above her head while he kissed her.

"I don't know how, exactly, to…" Stella's face flushed red, "go about letting you know I'm interested in you. And I certainly don't know," her voice got louder, "what the right way to ask a guy to accompany you to an interview with FBI agents is!"

She stood up and flung her pillow across the room, it hit the wall, and Stella growled in frustration.

"I don't know what to do!" she cried out.

Orion approached her, moving his hand to cup her face. He could smell her agitation, but the moment his palm touched her skin, she relaxed. He pulled her into his body, "You will call me," he said, "and I'll come and I'll help you. You can talk to me and I'll tell you what I think."

"Why would you do that, Orion?" Stella asked, leaning away and staring confusedly at his face, "You just met me."  
"I know," he answered, "but," Jesus. How did he tell her this without scaring her away? "But there's a connection between us, and it's important," he said, "I think it might turn out to be the most important thing I ever experience."  
Stella bit her lip and looked away, "That's crazy."  
"Look at me, Stella," Orion said, "Listen to your instincts. What do they tell you?"  
Stella watched him for a second, turning her head and breathing in deeply. Something flared in her eyes and then she was biting down on her lip trying not to smile, "Truth," she said, "You're telling the truth."

 **Chapter 11**

Whatever this crazy connection was between her and Orion, Stella accepted it. Her entire body responded to him in a way she'd never responded to anyone before. He could calm her with a touch, irritate her with one word, and arouse her, just by being near.

Stella had no experience in seduction. She ached for Orion, but she had no idea how to go about telling him or showing him. _Kiss me! Touch me!_ She screamed in her head.

It was almost as if he could hear her, because as soon as she thought the words, his mouth was pressed to hers. His body followed his mouth and she took a step back, off balance, sitting down hard on the bed. Orion kneeled in front of her. He was as tall as her even kneeling on the floor, and he kissed her.

This kiss was different than the one they'd shared last night. It held a promise. He kissed her slowly, not trying to force his tongue in her mouth. Her mouth cushioned his; he would press against her and release, then turn his head and do the same thing. She moved her head to the side, kissing where she knew his dimples were, and then to the other side and kissed there. He smiled at her and she moved forward quickly; wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing the dimples again.

Orion moved his mouth to her neck. He kissed her once, then dragged his tongue up the side of her neck, licking the sweat that had dried there.

"You taste so good," he whispered.

Stella couldn't answer. His tongue was rough and strong. It shot electricity right to her core, causing a quick gush of wetness between her thighs.

She heard Orion groan, "Did I make you wet?" he asked.

Stella was embarrassed. _Oh my god, what if that's not supposed to happen?_ She thought.

Orion's finger traced the edge of her shorts, "You're not wearing underwear," he growled, pulling his head back and looking at Stella. His fingers teased her folds, moving up and down before circling her clit.

Stella moaned, "Orion," she said, "What are you doing?"

Orion smiled, and kissed her again. This time his tongue pushed past her lips, tangling with hers. He curls it against hers, stroking the sides, and then pushed a finger deep inside her. Stella cried out and Orion stilled.

"You're so tight," Orion said against her mouth.

"Is that bad?" Stella asked. Something about her tone of voice made Orion rear back and search her face.

"Stella," he asked, seeing confirmation to whatever question he was searching for, "Have you ever shared sex with a male before?"

Stella's face flamed. She felt so obvious; her inexperience clear. She pushed Orion's hand away and he let her, "I'm sorry," she said, "I… you don't have to do anything… I get it. It's pathetic."

Orion stopped her when she tried to move off the bed. He pushed her to her back and settled his weight on top of her, staring down at her face in wonder.

"Stella," he said, his dimples peeking out, "Tell me. Have you ever been with a male before?"  
Stella pushed at him, not meeting his eyes, "Don't laugh at me!" she snapped, "No. Okay. No! I'm a twenty-two year old virgin! So you can get off me and get out!"

 **Chapter 12**

Orion couldn't believe it. Somehow, this gorgeous, vivacious creature was a virgin. No one had ever touched her before him.

 _And no one ever will._

"Stella," he said, "Stop it." His voice deepened and she stopped struggling.

"It's not pathetic," he said. He lowered his head to kiss her. She didn't respond immediately, so he teased her with his tongue. Rubbing up and down the sides of her tongue before withdrawing, over and over until she was chasing his mouth.

He moaned and pressed his hips into hers, his cock so hard he worried he wouldn't be able to pull his pants down.

"Fuck, Stella," he said, "To know that no one else has ever had you." His hips rocked into hers again.

Stella gasped as his length dragged along her core, "Orion!" she gasped, arching into his body.

Orion reared back, ripping his shirt over his head, tearing at his pants. The buttons flew in every direction and he pushed it down. He tried yanking it off his feet, but realized he hadn't taken his boots off when he heard Stella giggling. He looked up at her. Her golden brown eyes twinkling and he smiled back at her. He pulled one boot off and then the other.

"Think that's funny?" he asked, crawling toward her on all fours as she propped herself on elbows, watching him.

She nodded, giggling. Orion grabbed her foot, pulling off one of her shoes and socks. He traced the bottom of her foot with his tongue and she burst out laughing. He pulled off the other shoe and did the same thing, "That's gross!" she cried out, still laughing.

He started tracing her calf with his tongue. Her smooth skin felt like silk and her laughter died on her lips. His other hand traced over her calf, and knee, before he switched to the other leg, running his tongue along her thigh.

Stella gasped, reaching her hands down and trying to pull him up to her. He shook his head and allowed his fingertips to reach under her shorts. He laid his head against her core and breathed in deeply, "You smell fucking amazing," he said.

Stella continued to try and move him, "Let me take a shower or something Orion," she said desperately, "I've been running."

"No," Orion growled, removing his hands and pulling down her shorts. He bent one knee and then the other, removing one leg slowly from the shorts and the next. He pulled them up to his face and breathed in deeply, "I'm taking these home," he told her.

Stella smacked him on the arm, "Shut up," she laughed.

He smiled down at her, "You think I'm joking?" he said.

Stella nodded.

"You don't believe me?" he asked.

Stella shook her head, and then cried out when Orion placed his face in the v of her thighs and breathed in.

He moved back to see her face. She'd stuffed a hand against her mouth to stop herself from crying out. He reached up one hand and pulled her hand away, "I want to hear you," he said.

Stella slowly lowered the hand and gripped the comforter.

Orion went back to surveying her body, "I don't know where to start," he said longingly.

His used his thumbs to spread her labia apart, noting the contrast between the inner pink and darker almost dusky purple of her outer lips. He lowered his mouth to her and took a long slow lick straight up her center.

"What are you doing?" Stella asked.

"I'm eating your pussy," Orion said, taking another leisurely lick.

Stella gasped as he swirled his tongue around her clit and pushed the hood back. He followed up with his index finger and strummed her, once, twice.

"You don't have to do that," she gasped.

Orion laughed against her pussy, "Oh yes, I do," he said and went back to licking and sucking. Tracking the dips and valleys and then pulling back to look at her. He'd never seen anything so beautiful.

He dove in again. Stella's body squirmed, arched and retreated. He felt a burst of liquid against his tongue and he hungrily lapped it up, "God, baby," he said, "I want to keep my face here forever. Come on my tongue, Stella. Let me taste you."

He pushed one finger into Stella. Her inner muscles clamped down on him. He slowly added another finger as Stella's hips rocked. He could barely push the second one in. He turned his fingers back and forth, circling her entrance and then pushing them forward again. He felt a vibration against his tongue and then heard Stella clear her throat and the vibration stopped.

He curled his fingers, searching for the walnut sized ridge at the front of her pussy, and tapped it. The vibration began again and Stella cleared her throat.

Orion pulled his head back to look at her. Her hand had left the comforter to grasp her throat. Her face showed a mixture of panic and pleasure and Orion remembered. Stella always hid her animal responses. So he let his out. His purr began in his chest, but he let it erupt from his mouth just as he pressed the flat of his tongue against her clit. Stella cried out, a hand lowering to push his face into her, and then he heard it. She purred. Her other hand reached down to touch his face and he looked up at her. Her eyes sparked and flashed before her head fell back against the pillow and she came. Her eyes closed and her mouth dropped open. He felt a trembling in her knees and then another hot gush of liquid. Her inner muscles pulsed against his fingers, tightening to such an extent that he couldn't wait to feel it around his cock. Stella cried out, her voice quietly trailing off into a contented purr.

Orion gave her one more lick, causing Stella to suck in a breath and giggle.

"You're mine," Orion said. Stella opened her eyes and stared at him in wonder, "Say you're mine Stella. Forever."  
Her face softened and she smiled, "I'm yours Orion. I'm yours forever."  
 **Chapter 13**

Orion's face lost the look of good humor it had earlier. His cheekbones stood out, the skin pulled tightly against his features as if he was in pain. He pushed his hands along Stella's ribs and tore off her shirt and sports bra.

He palmed her breasts and lowered his head, gently biting her nipple and then sucking the tip into his mouth. He rolled with her until they lay on their sides. Stella opened her eyes and saw him staring at her. His hand reached up to cup her face. Stella grasped his hand with hers and lifted her leg, throwing it over his hip and using her heel to pull his body more in line with hers.

Orion's cock tucked into her folds, the tip of him coming up to rest on her belly. She reached a hand down, brushing the head with the palm of her hand and then circling it with her fingers. It was wet with precum and her own release. Her hand dragged over it easily. A purr continued to emanate from her, but it didn't seem to bother Orion, in fact, he answered it with his own purr. She leaned her head down and took one of his nipples in her mouth. His chest was hard, his nipple pebbling as her mouth fastened around it. She teased the puckering bud with her tongue and then nipped it.

Orion growled, "Stella," he warned.

She laved it with her tongue before sucking on it again and then moving to give the same attention to his other nipple.

"Stella!" he barked out when she bit down.

He rolled them, pushing his knees between her legs and spreading them.

"I guess you did warn me," Stella joked, running her hands up and down his arms before cupping his ass and pinching.

"You…" he said, dimples popping out as he fought not to smile.

Stella reached a hand between them, lining up his cock with her entrance. All amusement left his face, "Stella," he said, swallowing audibly, "We don't have to. We can wait. I don't want to hurt you."

Stella pushed her body toward his cock, engulfing the head in her heat. Orion groaned. He pushed in a fraction of an inch more before pulling out.

Stella wrapped her heels around his back and pulled his body into hers, then pulled back, "You're right," she said, breathlessly, "We should definitely wait. Let's go find some pie or something."  
Orion was afraid he had hurt her and pulled back quickly to look into her face. Her eyes were dancing and she was biting her lip to keep from smiling.

"Haha," he said, before leaning down and kissing her. He slowly began pressing into her. She gasped, but relaxed around him, until he was fully seated, his balls resting against her ass.

Last night, Stella had felt completely alone in her grief. Now, she had Orion. She didn't understand the nature of their connection, but she knew it was there. She could sense that it was deeper than even the ties she had to her parents. Everything about this felt right.

Orion began a slow drag in and out of her channel. He never looked away from her and with each thrust, Stella felt herself fall in love with him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

His hair fell around his shoulders sheltering them from the rest of the world. A rivulet of sweat dripped down his temple and along his jawline. Stella realized just how much control he was exerting right now. She wanted him to lose control the way she had.

"Faster!" she urged him.

But he didn't move faster, he continued to move in and out of her slowly and carefully.

"I'm not going to break," she said through clenched teeth, "Please!"

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, his eyes narrowed with concentration.

Stella growled, and pulled his head to hers. She bit his lower lip and then sucked away the hurt. His mouth moved against hers, his tongue copying the drag of his cock. But still, he wouldn't move faster. She could feel her orgasm hovering around the edge of her body, tickling her fingers and toes, a breezy heat along her entire body. She purred louder, her entire body vibrating with pleasure and joy. Orion pulled almost all the way out of her, before pushing back in. His breath was coming faster, and she felt his chest rumbling. She wrapped her arms around his neck, using it as leverage to counter his thrusts, and he slammed into her.

His pupils widened and his eyes narrowed, before he started thrusting into her hard. Each thrust was punctuated with a moan. The orgasm that was just out of reach, surrounding her like a haze, crashed through her. She snarled without knowing what she was doing and bit down onto Orion's shoulder, her fingernails digging into his sides. He answered with a powerful roar and she felt him come. Hot jets of semen pulsed into her, soothing her inner muscles. Acting purely on instinct, she licked the wound she'd made on Orion's shoulder. She felt him doing the same thing right where her neck met her shoulder. They pulled back and looked at each other, "Sorry," they said at the same time, and cracked up.

"Did I hurt you?" Orion asked when he'd stopped laughing.

Stella shook her head, pulling him down to her so that his head rested against her chest.

"I'm too heavy," he argued, attempting to pull himself off of her.

Stella wrapped her legs around him, "Stay," she purred.

"Just for a minute," he said, closing his eyes. Stella heard his answering purr and closed her eyes.

"I love you," she said without thinking before she drifted off to sleep herself.

 **Thanks for reading! I truly appreciate the time you all take to read and then write comments and reviews. They are wonderful and very helpful! ~ Ripley**


	5. Chapters 14-18

**Chapter 14**

Orion heard her whispered admission and his heart burst into flames. He could actually feel the heat built in his chest.

She loved him. He lifted his head up, watching her face in repose. She looked impossibly young, and he felt a moment of guilt that maybe he'd taken advantage of her. He lifted away a curl that had fallen across her face. A small frown marred her forehead, and she smacked his hand away.

 _No._ He thought, smiling, _she wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her._

At least, that's what he hoped. He moved off of her body slowly, lying down next to hers and propping his head up to watch her. The idea of her agreeing to be bait for the FBI filled him with sudden fear. She was just stubborn enough to agree to it, but he wouldn't let her. If he had to tie her to the bed then he would, but there was no way she was placing herself in danger. She couldn't possibly agree to it, he told himself.

But he remembered her face last night when she heard the stories of the Gifts. He remembered her sadness and guilt, and a part of him knew that he would end up fighting to keep her here.

His eyes traveled the length of her body, her nipples were dusky pink and puckered as the wind blew in from the open window next to the bed. He pulled the quilt from the end of the bed and covered their bodies. She turned toward him, nestling her head in his chest and purring quietly. Orion couldn't remember anyone ever turning toward him for comfort; he had left the last female's bed almost as soon as he'd come, and she'd been happy to see him go. The thought of touching another female after having Stella made him physically ill. He pressed his face into Stella's hair, pulling her scent into him. He pulled her more fully into his side, loving the scent of their combined release. He dragged his hand up and down her side, then brought his hand to his face. He could smell her there.

"What are you doing, Weirdo?" Stella asked sleepily.

He went back to tracing her body, "I'm enjoying how you smell."

Stella's sleepy eyes peered up at him, "You're making me paranoid with all of this smell talk," she said, sounding more awake, "You've mentioned it a couple of times now."

He pulled his head back so he could look at her, "New Species can tell a lot about someone by their smell. If they're aroused, happy, angry. We can track by scent. We remember it."

Stella was quiet. She stopped his hand from moving along her body and linked her fingers with his before bringing it up to her face and breathing in deeply.

"So it's not that I smell strange?" she asked.

"No," Orion attempted to place his nose against her neck. Stella arched her head away to give him a better angle. He groaned, "You have no idea what that position means to me."  
He kissed along her neck.

"What does it mean?" she asked, her entire body starting to vibrate with a purr.

"It means trust," he said quietly, letting his sharp teeth graze the delicate skin, "it means submission."

"What?" she sounded offended and he chuckled, "Not submission because you are weaker," he explained, "submission because you're mine. My mate."

Stella sighed, "What does that even mean?" she asked tiredly.

Orion stilled, a tingle of anxiety running through him, "What do you think it means?"  
Stella took a breath and said quietly, "I know what I want it to mean."

His anxiety disappeared, "What do you want it to mean?" he asked just as quietly.

Stella sat up. She looked down at Orion and bit her lip, her uncertainty clear, "You're really making me lay it all out there," she said, pulling her hair to the side and twirling it around her fingers.

He moved a hand behind his head to watch her, "You're right," he answered, pulling her lip out from between her teeth and reaching behind her head to pull her back down to him. He kissed her gently on the mouth, "It means," he said as her eyes lifted to his, "that you're mine. That I will protect you and care for you, and that you will protect and care for me. That you're completely and totally mine, and that there will never be anyone else for me."

Stella's eyes closed as he uttered the last words and then opened, blazing at him fiercely, "You may be sorry you said that."

"Impossible," Orion said, "you were made for me."

"I won't let you go," Stella said, "I'm also really moody, and inconsistent. I'll confuse the hell out of you."

"I hate boring," Orion said, his smiling getting wider.

"And I'm not submissive," she said, as if expecting him to argue.

He chuckled, "Oh I know, I have the bite marks to prove it."

"Fine," she grumbled, "we're mates," but she smiled widely until it was split by a huge yawn.

"Go to sleep Stella," he said softly, wrapping both arms around her tightly and kissing her head.

"Okay," she said, burrowing into his arms and throwing a leg across his and tucking her foot beneath his thigh, "just for a little while."

 **Chapter 15**

Stella woke up to a fist pounding on her door. She blinked into the darkness, trying to get her bearings, and then, remembering her afternoon, she smiled to herself.

Tight arms pulled her back when she would have gotten up, "Stay here," Orion said gruffly.

The pounding on the door continued. Finally, when it became clear the person wasn't going away, he got up, mumbling.

"Put pants on!" Stella hissed.

She heard laughter outside the door, and Orion smiled, his face illuminated by a street light filtering in through the window. He pulled on his pants and opened the door.

"Where's Stella?" a female voice asked.

"I'm in here!" Stella called out, recognizing Vicious' voice, "Give me a minute!"

Stella heard Vicious talking in low tones to Orion, words she could just barely make out, she thought she heard "dancing" and "promise."  
"Oh shit," Stella said to herself.

She quickly dressed in a t-shirt and athletic shorts and ran into the other room, where Orion was standing with Vicious. He looked tense. His hand gripping the door frame tightly.

"You're going dancing?" he asked.

"Yes," Vicious answered for her, "I told her she was going when I saw her this morning," she looked over at Stella, "You can't wear that. Lucky for you, I have your suitcases."

Stella blanched.

"I don't want to go dancing," she told Vicious, swallowing hard against the sadness welling up in her throat. She didn't want her suitcases. She wanted her stuff to be packed back into the trailer, then she wanted to go home where her mom and dad would be waiting for her.

Vicious watched her, her bravado disappearing and she walked past Orion to Stella. She gave her a one-armed hug, "It's okay," she said, "if you can't dance. I'll dance and you can watch. But you're still coming out."

Stella almost laughed. If she thought Vicious was going to offer her sympathy or understanding, she was wrong. She looked to Orion for help.

"I don't want you to go," he explained, "I will have to fight other males."

"Why would you need to do that?" Vicious asked, "They won't be able to miss that you've mated her. They'll leave her alone. And I'll be there. I'll make sure they don't get too close."  
Stella sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her hand across her forehead, trying to massage away the headache that was threatening.

"You know what?"

She opened her eyes to see Orion moving closer to her, "Maybe it won't be a bad thing," he said thoughtfully, "you could use a distraction."

"I had a distraction," Stella said, "Can you get back to distracting me?"

Orion's nostrils flared, "Happily," he said.

"Argh!" Vicious groaned, throwing up her hands in surrender, "You newly mated couples!"

She was interrupted by Stella's phone ringing. Orion gave her one last heated glance before moving to answer it, "Hello?"

His posture changed and he turned away from Stella, "What? When?" he asked, seriously, "I'd like to be there. Yes. Ten minutes."

He hung up the phone and turned back to Stella, "Something's come up," he said, "I'm needed in the security office."  
Stella's stomach dropped. _Lie._ What was going on?

Orion didn't meet her eyes as he grabbed his shirt and boots, "I'm sorry," he said, kissing her quickly.

 _Truth._ Stella thought, but for what? Lying or leaving?

Her eyes narrowed as he left. Vicious watched her thoughtfully.

"You have my suitcases?" Stella asked her when she heard the elevator ding, signaling Orion's departure.

"Yes," she answered.

"Okay then," Stella took a deep breath, "I guess we're going out."

 **Chapter 16**

Tiger met Orion at the holding cells.

"I heard you mated the Gift," he said.

"Stella," Orion corrected, and he smiled to himself, "I have. I imagine Vengeance and Justice are laughing."  
Tiger snickered, "You say that as if you haven't been taunting them since they found their own mates."  
"Fair enough," Orion replied and tipping his head in the direction of the cell asked, "What have you learned?"

Tiger gestured to an open door, and Orion followed him in. A two-way mirror gave him a view of the two humans. They looked sweaty, dirty, and uncomfortable. They were both sporting bruises, but were in much better health than he would have liked to see. He growled, recognizing the one who had taunted Stella, and who had the smell of gunpowder on him. Orion realized now that it made him the man who had killed Stella's father.

"What do they say?" Orion asked between clenched teeth.

Tiger shrugged, "They were sent here to kill Stella's father and take Stella back to Italy. But something about it doesn't sit right with me. Why did they wait all this time? How did they find out about her?"

"So ask them," Orion said, then shaking his head added, "I'll ask them." He yearned for a moment alone with the humans.

There was a knock on the door and Justice looked in, "We need to talk," he said, coming in further.

Orion could smell humans, "Who else is here?" he asked.

Justice gestured at them to leave, and they followed him into a nearby office. Waiting there were two humans. Stella's scent was still faintly clinging to their clothes, making Orion growl with recognition. These were the FBI agents. Their presence worried him and he wanted them gone. He didn't know what their agenda was for Stella, but he knew it would be in direct opposition to his need to protect her.

"Orion, Tiger," Justice introduced, "This is Agent Fairly and Agent Rolla."

The humans nodded at them, but didn't approach.

"What are you doing here?" Orion asked harshly.

They looked to Justice before speaking, but before they could, Vengeance rushed into the room. He skidded to a stop when he saw the agents. He growled, his lip curling and his eyes darkening. The agents looked nervously between Orion and Vengeance.

"I know this is difficult," Justice said calmly to the agitated males, "but you need to listen to them."  
Orion eyed Vengeance, who silently agreed to allow the agents to speak. He crossed his arms, but nodded to Justice.

"Senator Halpern is involved with Princetti," the older agent said warily after Justice gave him a sign to begin talking, "Deeply involved. We've been trying to link campaign contributions, government contracts, and tax breaks back to Halpern. But he's too damn good at hiding things. We can't find the money, but we know it's there. Halpern looks squeaky clean, but you know, and we know, that he isn't."  
Vengeance snarled, "He's a sick fuck. What are you doing to catch him?"

Agent Rolla began speaking, "We've been tracking Princetti's funds to projects that Halpern has sponsored. California's in the middle of a drought, but somehow, Halpern's been able to get approval for an additional aqueduct going from the Colorado River into Nevada; to the casinos in the god-damn desert. Halpern had buried it in a bill five years ago and has fast-tracked it every session. We never would have noticed originally, but now, when every group in California is clamouring for water, it's a little more obvious. It was the mistake we were waiting for Halpern to make."

"He's up to his eyeballs in dirt," Agent Fairly said, "We can keep watching him and waiting for him to make a mistake so we can nail him. And he will. And we'll get him. But it might be years from now. We're using RICO to investigate, but the whole thing is made trickier because Halpern sits on the Organized Crime committee."

"That's why we're asking for Stella's help," he continued, "For some reason, Halpern has taken an interest in Stella. We have intel that shows he's agreed to get her to Princetti."  
"No!" Orion ground out, "There's absolutely no reason to involve her."  
"There is," Fairly argued, "Stella could end this whole investigation. We set her up with protection, and we watch the whole thing go down. Halpern hands her over to Princetti and bam! We can arrest both of them, not for fraud, or some white collar crime, but for kidnapping and exploiting New Species. That gets them handed over to you. All we need is a day with them, then you can take them to Fuller. Do whatever you want with them."

Orion looked at Tiger and Justice, "No way," he said, "No. She has no training. What if we lost her? What if Halpern hurts her? What if Princetti gets her alone? You know what happens to Gifts."

Agent Rolla interrupted, "We don't know where this could lead. Princetti is big on showing off all his new toys. Stella could well lead us to other Mercile associates. Ones with Gifts of their own. What if just getting Princetti into custody makes him spill his secrets? It's a very real possibility."

Orion was teetering on the edge of a meltdown. He could feel his vision tunneling as he became more and more agitated. The voices of the males in the room were overlapping and the scent of the humans was making him sick. He pushed past Justice and into the cold night air. He gripped the side of the building and breathed deeply, trying to will away his nausea. Orion linked his arms behind his head, and looked up at the stars. _NO._ They cannot possibly be entertaining the thought of allowing Stella near a man who had no problem raping and then beating his wife to a pulp. And he didn't even want to think about Princetti.

"What are you going to tell her?"

Vengeance.

"I'm not telling her anything," Orion said, looking over his shoulder, "No one tells her anything. Understand?"  
Vengeance nodded, "Except… Halpern could be gone for good and Blue would never have to worry about him again. And that guy after Stella; Princetti? He'd be gone, too."

"Blue's already safe here!" Orion argued, feeling a growl build in his chest, along with the desire to fight, "You can't expect me to send Stella to the Out World. To deal with men like Halpern and Princetti."

"I would never want Blue to do anything like what I'm asking you to let Stella do. But you have to ask her." Vengeance said, "If you don't, I will."

"Fuck!" Orion ran both his hands through his hair in agitation, "Don't fucking ask her. I'm begging you, Vengeance," he said desperately, "She'll go. She'll go and… FUCK!" Orion let out a roar like he hadn't felt since being tortured by Mercile.

"I have to go," he said, looking around. The need to be with Stella, to smell and touch her, was overwhelming.

"Orion!" Vengeance called out, but he was gone.

 **Chapter 17**

Stella was impulsive. She knew this about herself, and she tried really hard to think before she was a very real struggle because here she was, yet again regretting a decision she'd made in haste.

She sipped her water in the club she'd come to with Vicious. The crowd was small because it was still early, but it was filling up fast. Music pulsed from the dance floor where Vicious was engaged in a very… explicit… type of dance. The bartender leaned over to her, "Do you want something besides water?" she asked Stella.

Stella shook her head, "No, thanks."

The bartender was a New Species females; primate, Stella guessed by her big round eyes and pert nose.

"Sparky!" a voice yelled near her and an arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Stella immediately tensed up, but relaxed when she saw Magic. She shrugged her shoulders and tossed his arm off, "Hey," she said in greeting and then, "Wait. I thought we'd already labeled this? Remember? Magic. Stella." She pointed at her chest, "Stella."

Magic shook his head and chuckled before leaning close to her and breathing in, "Damn!" he said, "Mated already! All the good ones are taken."

The bartender glared at him before giving him a soda and walking away, "I should probably give that a couple of minutes before I open it," Magic said, "I bet she shook it."  
Stella spit out the water she'd just swallowed, laughing and choking before gratefully taking the napkin Magic handed her.

"What are you doing out, newly-mated-Gift female-named-Stella?" Magic asked.

"Good question," Stella replied, "It was kind of a split second decision."

"My favorite kind," Magic said, "I've been the beneficiary of some very impulsive decisions in the past."

God. This guy was too much.

Stella chuckled. At least he was taking her mind off of Orion.

She stopped chuckling when her mind alighted on Orion. Who lied to her.

Why would he lie about where he was going?

And what really, did she know about him?

He said they were mates, and Stella knew how she felt, but what if it was just a line?

 _Look at this guy,_ she thought to herself, mentally pointing her thumb toward Magic, _you think this guy hasn't used the "you're my mate. I'm yours forever" line? You're an idiot, Stella._

"Excuse me?" Stella called out to the bartender, who met her eyes questioningly, "Can I get a vodka tonic? With lime?"

"You know that New Species don't really process alcohol well?" Magic asked seriously.

"Interesting," Stella said, "Thanks for the warning."  
"Be careful," the bartender said as she placed the drink in front of Stella.

"Thanks," Stella said, clamping down hard on the impulse to roll her eyes.

She took a sip of the drink, and sneezed, the bubbles from the tonic tickling her nose.

"Good luck, Sparky," Magic said, picking up his soda and moving to the dance floor, "and congratulations."

She gave him a fake smile and raised her drink. She turned her back to the bartender and surveyed the room. This was a mistake. She needed to just call it quits. She left her drink and started to the door. Orion burst through just as she reached it.

"Where have you been?" he nearly shouted at her.

Stella felt her temper rise, "Where have _you_ been?" she asked snidely.

Orion looked taken aback at her tone, "I told you," he said, "I got called into the security office."  
Stella couldn't stand it, something in her snapped and she stamped her foot, "Lie! You're lying!"

She pushed past him and went through the door to the outside. She took a deep breath, letting the cool night air drift over her superheated skin.

"What are you talking about?" Orion asked, following closely behind her.

Stella didn't look at him, "I know you weren't at security. You lied to me," she finally glanced at him, "So where were you?"  
Orion shoved a hand through his hair. Stella noticed how tense his shoulders were, and she fought against herself to go to him, wrap him in her arms and comfort him. Every instinct she had was telling her to pull him close, but she fought it. She needed to know. Why would he lie to her?  
Orion looked at the ground, "I didn't lie to you, exactly," he said, "Tiger did call me. But I can't tell you where I went."

Stella looked back up at the stars, searching for the Big Dipper in the night sky, and trying to figure out the conflicting messages she was getting from Orion. He was lying, but he was also telling her the truth. She closed her eyes but kept her face tilted toward the sky.

"I want to go home, Orion," she said quietly. She opened her eyes to look at him. He seemed relieved and reached for her hand.

"I'll take you back," he replied.

"No," she said, "I want to go home. To my family's home." Her voice caught, and Orion tugged her into his arms.

"I know you do," he said against the top of her head, "I want to tell you everything," he said, "but I can't right now."

His arms tightened around her and when she laid her head on his chest, she could sense his fear and anxiety, "Please give me time," he said, "Stay with me."

Stella nodded, pulling away slightly to wipe her face with her hand, "Okay."

"Come on," Orion said, leading her away from the club and toward the dorm, "Let me take care of you tonight."

As they got closer to the dorms, Stella could see two figures silhouetted near the entrance. They stepped out of the shadows as they approached. Orion tensed, pulling Stella behind him, a snarl escaping quietly from his lips in warning.

"We need to talk," Vengeance said, stepping more fully into a streetlight.

"No," Orion replied, his hand gripping Stella's tightly, "I already told you no."  
"Orion," Justice said from where he stood next to Vengeance, "she has a right to decide herself."

"What is it?" Stella asked, putting her hand on Orion's back. She felt his body trembling beneath her hand and a frisson of fear ran up her spine, "Orion?" she asked, "What's going on?"

When he turned around to look at her, his eyes were desolate. She reached up immediately and framed his face between her palms and stood on tiptoe to touch his lips with hers.

"You're scaring me," she whispered. His eyes closed at her words, and when he opened them there was no spark, no life, there. It was if the personality that showed through had disappeared, and all that was left was an Orion-shell.

He looked away from her, and up to Vengeance and Justice, "Where to?" he asked. Justice tipped his chin in the direction he wanted them to go.

Orion reached down to grab Stella's hand and followed Justice. She struggled to keep up with him, each of his strides needing two of hers. She could feel tension and anger rolling off of the other males, but Orion concerned her the most. There was no emotion; he was completely shut down.

They entered the building silently, the only sound Stella's breathing as she rushed behind them.

Two humans stood from where they were seated at a huge round table, "Miss Turner," one said in greeting.  
Orion's tension was explained; it was the FBI agents. Stella stopped at the door and looked at Orion, who pulled out a chair for her to sit. Stella sat, not greeting the agents and not taking her eyes off of Orion.

"Miss Turner," the agent, Fairly, she thought his name was, started.  
She didn't look away from Orion, who, sitting down next to her, had pinned the agent with his stare.

"Yes?" Stella replied, watching Orion.

"We want to explain, without Senator Halpern here, what we are hoping for you to accomplish by agreeing to work with us," he continued.

Stella peeled her eyes away from Orion to look at Agent Fairly, "Okay," she said. Her heart was pounding and her hands were sweaty. She wiped them on the skirt she had put on to go to the club.

"We weren't completely honest with you," he began, "While we would like the names of Princetti's associates, that is not our focus. Our focus is taking down Senator Halpern and Princetti, himself. We believe that, given the opportunity, Senator Halpern would attempt to abduct you and return you to Princetti. We would tag you and monitor you. Once he gave you over to Princetti, we, and the New Species Task Force based out of Homeland, would arrest them. They would be turned over to New Species and questioned about the location of other Gift females. It's a pretty simple operation, though we recognize you would be placing yourself in danger. We don't believe that Halpern would attempt to harm you, but if he should, we would intervene."

Stella nodded, swallowing and clasping her hands tightly in her lap, "You could arrest him even if he only beat me up?"

Orion slammed his fist on the table, turning toward her, "Only beat you up? _Only?_ He beat his wife within an inch of her life, Stella! Beat her so badly she carries the scars to this day!"

He turned to the agents, "You would let him! Maybe they don't understand it," he yelled, gesturing toward Justice and Vengeance, "but I do. You would let him beat her so you could arrest him. How many hits would you let him get in?" Orion asked, standing up, leaning his fists against the table as he faced them, "A slap? A backhand? A punch to the kidney?"

Stella wrapped her arms around her waist, sick to her stomach and scared out of her mind.

"She's going to do it," Orion said quietly, his voice shaking with rage and frustration, "She's terrified but she's going to do it. None of you," he stared at Vengeance and Justice, "none of you would let your mates do this. You would lock them up. The FBI wouldn't even make it through the door. But you ask _my_ mate. The only…" Orion stopped and pushed himself away from the table. Stella watched him, stunned and heartbroken. She remembered what he'd told her when they'd first met and he tried to comfort her. He had held himself away from others, because the relationships were always held against him. If he cared about someone they were used to make him hurt or do things he didn't want to do. Every relationship he'd ever had led to pain. She ached to take him into her arms and stood up to approach him when he wheeled toward the wall and punched it.

She rushed to his side and clutched the arm he'd pulled from the wall. He jumped when she touched him and snarled. She was so surprised she took a step back, tripping over a plant nearby and falling on her butt. Orion looked at her, shock and horror clear on his face.

"Stella," he whispered contritely, leaning down to help her up.

Stella's voice trembled, "It's okay," she whispered, "I'm all right."

He let her go as soon as she was standing and she had to wrap her arms around herself again to keep from reaching out to him. Something about his posture said he didn't want to be touched, and she couldn't help the pain that shot through her body as she physically willed herself away from him. Every cell in her body needed him, stretched and pulled her to him. Her chin wobbled, but she bit her lip. She wouldn't cry. She wouldn't.

She wanted to ask him, "What should I do?" but she knew what he'd say. She knew that he was struggling with what was right and what was right for her. He would always put her first. She felt ashamed that she'd ever doubted the depth of his feelings for her; watching him shut down and struggle now was tearing her apart.

 **Chapter 18**

Orion could feel Stella's pain like a physical thing. It was rolling off of her and crashing into him. He wanted to look at her, but he couldn't. He stared at the ground and tried to distance himself the way he had in captivity; find the place in his mind where he could escape to, a tiny hidey hole away from the pain and the terror. But it was harder with Stella. He had never had this kind of attachment to anyone before, and as hard as he tried, every particle of his being was aware of her.

He could sense her staring at him, but he still couldn't meet her eyes. He flexed his hand, savoring the physical hurt from punching the wall. It was something he understood much better than the hole filling his chest.

"Orion?" she whispered. He could hear the pleading in her voice, begging him to look at her. He didn't know if he could. Some instinct deep inside of him was warring with his instinct for self-preservation. It was solely focused on Stella, and it would do whatever she wanted, whatever she needed.

So he looked at her.

And it slayed him.

He could see her fear, her guilt and shame, but overlying everything, was concern for him. Her eyes filled with tears, but she was willing them back. She bit her lip so hard there were teeth marks and a bead of blood. She had her arms wrapped around herself, and that was the last straw. If she needed comfort, he would be the one to give it.

One step was all he needed to enclose her in his arms. She clutched at him desperately, her arms wrapped around him as tightly as they would go. She stood on her tip toes, trying to bury her face in his neck.

"I have to," she whispered into his ear.

He took a deep shuddering breath, and pulled her as close as he could, "I know."

He looked over her head, and narrowed his eyes at Justice before nodding once. Justice watched him sadly, and nodded, understanding. Once he had confirmation, he wrapped her up in his arms, and left. She didn't look up from his neck, just tried to burrow more deeply into his arms.

Before he knew it, he was holding her inside her room. He stripped the jean jacket she had used to cover a tank top. Her breasts heaved, the tops showing over the edge of the tank. She pulled off his t-shirt and attacked his mouth. They were both wild. She nipped his lips, he sucked hers into his mouth. He palmed her ass, pulling the skirt up and over her hips. He turned her around and bent her over the bed.

"This is my favorite view," he whispered, "you bent over in front of me. Your perky ass in the air." He traced the seam of her cheeks with one finger, pulling aside the thong so he could feel her silky flesh and trace the rosette of her ass.

Stella groaned beneath him, arching her back to press into his chest. One tug and he'd ripped the underwear away from her body. He thrusted his finger inside her.

"You're so wet," he said, "you need me to fuck you, don't you?"  
"Please, Orion," Stella said, "I need you, you're too far away from me."

He felt an actual pain in his chest following her words. He had made her doubt him and he would never forgive himself.

He began a slow drag of his fingers in and out of her pussy. He curled one finger, and then slid it to her mound, pressing lightly to her clit before rubbing it gently. Stella moaned, turning her head to the arm that was propped next to her and keeping him curled around her. She kissed his bicep, then lightly sucked it. Her teeth ran along his skin. Her hands kept her chest off the bed, and she moved one until she could link her fingers with his.

"How do you want me to touch you, Stella?" he asked. His cock was rock-hard, straining toward her body. He felt a small pearl of wetness glide along his shaft.

"Orion," Stella panted, "don't make me wait. I need you inside me."

Orion moved his hand back to her tight channel, inserting one finger and then a second, stretching her to accommodate his size. She was tighter in this position, and he couldn't wait to get inside her. He used his thumb to press against the bundle of nerves. He felt her clit emerge from its hood, and he strummed it gently.

He felt her pussy walls flutter against his fingers, the beginning of her orgasm. Stella cried out, biting into his arm. Orion sucked at the skin on her neck, wanting to mark her as well. Her arms were trembling, but he couldn't wait. He moved her into a kneeling position, pushing her forward on the bed. He shucked his pants and kneeled behind her. Her skirt was still bunched between them. He ripped off her tank top and threw it aside before pulling down the bra cups to squeeze her nipples.

Stella purred. Her body was vibrating with pleasure and he realized he was purring as well. He stroked his hand up her chest and around her neck until he could angle her face toward him. His tongue dueled with hers. Rubbing and stroking, mimicking what he was about to do to her. Her hands reached up and curled around his arm, stroking the muscle before reaching down and moving between their legs. He felt her grip his sac with a steady hand, rolling his balls. He was so sensitive he jumped. One of her fingers reached between his balls and rubbed gently at a bundle of nerves he hadn't even know existed. He reared back, gripping his cock. A gush of precum erupted from the tiny slit. He saw Stella turn around and look down at it. Her whole body followed and she gripped his dick with one strong hand before lowering her head. Her lips stretched around the mushroomed head, and then her tongue. Holy fuck! She licked along the slit, collecting the precum that continued to weep. Her hand moved up and down the shaft, squeezing and pulling, while her mouth sucked the tip. She lowered her head as far as she could go, swallowing him down. As her throat constricted, he jerked back.

"I need to come inside you," he said, turning her body around and positioning her again, "I want you to smell like me. I want every male who meets you to smell me all over you. Inside you. Everywhere." He gripped his cock, lined it up with her tight hole and thrust inside.

Stella cried out and Orion snarled in response. She was so tight, he was afraid of hurting her. She fell forward onto the bed, back arched, ass high. She bent her elbows until her head rested on the mattress. Orion stared down at their conjoined bodies. He watched his huge cock split her, emerge glistening wet, and plunge back inside of her.

Her pussy clamped down on him like a fist, he had to fight to get inside her. Stella rolled her hips, her entire body vibrating with purrs. He withdrew, thrusting the tip back and forth, until she growled, reached back and gripped his ass, nails digging in, and shoved back at him. He felt his balls draw up, and as much as he wanted to make it last, he wanted and needed to mark her. His big hand gripped her throat and she turned her head back to meet his kiss. He pumped harder into her. She let go of his ass and pushed her hands into the bed, matching him thrust for thrust. He tore his mouth away from hers and snarled before biting down onto her shoulder, marking her in yet another way.

He came, harder than he'd ever come in his life. He felt her inner muscles clench around him, drawing out his orgasm, milking every drop of cum from his body. Her body heaved as she attempted to catch her breath. He moved to withdraw from her body, but she stopped him.

"Don't," she said, looking back at him. Her golden brown eyes glistening with tears. He pressed a kiss to her mouth. She kissed him back, softly.

Orion lowered her to the bed, gently rolling them onto their side, and thrusting back inside her to stay connected.

"I love you, Orion," she said, linking their hands again and bringing his hand to her lips, "You know that, right?"

He pressed his lips to the curve of her shoulder, "I do," he answered, "I never imagined loving someone as much as I love you. If anything happened to you…" he couldn't finish without clearing his throat, "I wouldn't want to live without you, Stella."

Stella reached a hand back, and turned to look in his eyes, "I loved my parents," she said, "I want to kill guy who ordered my dad's death. But for you I would forget about all of it and I know they would understand."

"So why don't you?" Orion said, "just forget about it?" He knew the answer before she could speak, but he waited anyway.

"I can't let anyone else live the life you had, the life I almost had. I got lucky, but what if I hadn't? What if I was somewhere; hurt and alone, every day torture? What if I was just waiting for someone to find me? For you to find me?" Stella's lip trembled and she bit down on it again.

Orion withdrew from her, turning her body around so he could look into her eyes. He pulled her lip from between her teeth, "I know," he said, "l know," he exhaled shakily, "I just don't want it to be you who does this."

Stella's hands came up and covered her face, "I don't want to do it either," she said, "I love you," her voice caught on a sob.

Orion kissed her hands and pulled them away from her face. He kissed her wet cheeks and when her eyes closed, he kissed her eyelids, "We'll make a plan. It will be the best goddamn plan anyone has ever made for anything. I will be with you, every step of the way. If you do this, I promise you, you won't do it alone."

Stella looked up at him and he almost wept at the look of complete trust she gave him. She nodded her head and buried her face in his chest. Orion lifted her thigh, draping it over his hip and slid into her wet heat. Her breath caught, and he rocked slowly. She kept her her head against his chest, her breath puffing from between her lips. Orion kept a hand on her belly, pulling her body into his. Her release, when it came, was soft and calm, and his own followed immediately. She fell asleep almost seconds later, replete and exhausted. But Orion stayed awake, keeping watch over her; not knowing the next time he would get to hold her all night.

 **Thanks for reading! Again- I love to read your comments/questions/insights! ~Ripley**


	6. chapters 19-22

**Chapter 19**

Orion was determined that Stella would know everything about defending herself before she took part in the FBI's sting operation; so the next five days were full of physical training, self-defense, and firearms instruction. He found himself being constantly amazed by her. Stella worked her ass off. She got up and ran with him; she was in very good shape already and she was incredibly agile.

"Part cat," she joked, though Orion was finding it hard to have a sense of humor about anything.

She could leap fences and climb trees easily. She landed on the balls of her feet and practiced falling from increasing heights. Each leap she took made Orion's throat close with anxiety, but she was good. He couldn't deny it.

"What did you study in college?" Orion asked one day after she'd managed to surprise Vengeance and flip him over her shoulder, "Ass kicking?

Vengeance was just as dedicated to Stella's training as Orion. It was clear the male felt incredibly guilty about her participation. Each day he would join them for runs and, with Tiger, supervise her instruction. Even Darkness was pulled into training, spending long hours teaching Stella pressure points and take-downs that could incapacitate a male at least Orion's size.

At night, Stella fell into bed exhausted. Orion rubbed her shoulders, got ice packs, and tended to bruises. That was the hardest part; watching her get hurt during the hand-to-hand work she had to do. Each time a male came close to her, he had to will himself not to react. He'd never struggled with his instincts so much in his entire life. Not even when he was beaten at Mercile had he wanted to injure someone as much as he did Darkness, when he swept Stella's legs out from under her.

Stella was determined; she took the training seriously, and during the night, when Orion kissed her, and soothed her body, being careful of all her aches and pains, he would say to her, "Promise to come back to me."  
And she would whisper back, "I promise."  
Their lovemaking was tender and slow, an exploration of each other that couldn't be rushed. Orion didn't know how much time they would have. When he couldn't watch Stella complete self-defense work anymore, he would join Justice, Fairly, and Rolla. He was an important part of their planning. He wanted to understand everything from surveillance to contingency plans, and he wanted to see the face of every person who would be part of the operation, so he could get their measure.

The New Species Task Force would be teaming with the FBI, and Tim Oberto was supervising that piece of Stella's training. It was possible the only person who didn't like Stella's involvement as much as Orion, was Tim. He felt the whole thing was too risky, and point-blank told Justice he wouldn't agree to any such plan with Jessie.

Then there were the mates.

Blue and Jessie were seething, demanding to be part of the sting in any way they could. Blue wanted to meet with Halpern and Jessie wanted to be on-hand with the Task Force in case any other Gifts were located. They had crashed a strategy meeting together, arguing points with their mates and generally agitating everyone. They had excellent points, and Orion agreed with many of them.

However, with one thing he was in complete agreement with Vengeance: Blue could not meet with Halpern. She was just barely pregnant with their first baby and it was hitting her hard. She came to a meeting, sweating and nauseated, with saltine crackers and her very own bucket. Vengeance sat with teeth clenched the whole time. He hovered next to her, watching every move she made, and glaring at anyone who came close to her. Clearly pregancy made New Species males even more protective of their mates. Blue held his hand, met his gaze, and explained her position. She made very good points, but they were moot. There was no way the pregnant mate would come into contact with Halpern ever again. Each male left that meeting with a little less enamel on their teeth, a few years shaved off their lives, and the suspicion of having a stress-induced ulcer.

Agent Fairly continued to update the team about Princetti. When they met with Stella in the beginning of the week, he was still in Italy. When they accidentally-on-purpose told Senator Halpern that Stella may take part in the sting, he got on a private jet.

"Princetti was sighted in Las Vegas," Agent Fairly told Orion and Stella at their next meeting.

Orion's stomach dropped. He pulled Stella onto his lap, needing to feel her in his arms, "What does that mean?"  
"It means," Fairly replied, "that Halpern is confident Stella will join his sting. Princetti is getting into position to receive her and take her back to Italy."

"He's not going to stay in Las Vegas," Orion said.

"Probably not," Fairly agreed, "we'll continue to watch him and monitor his travels. So the question is: are we ready? Do we put our plan into motion and set up Halpern to grab Stella?"

Stella looked up at Orion, who clenched his jaw, the muscle ticking in his cheek as he processed the agent's words.

"Stella?" Fairly directed his words to her, "Are you ready?"

Orion's eyes closed, and when he opened them Stella was gazing at him softly. She reached her hand up and touched his cheek lightly, stroking her fingertips along his cheekbones, and over his lips, memorizing his face.

"I'm ready," she whispered, and then clearing her throat said louder, "I'm ready."

 _I'm not ready_ , Orion thought, _I'll never be ready._ But he nodded at Stella, "You're ready," he said to her confidently.

She gave him a watery smile, bit her lip, and squeezed his hand.

 **Chapter 20**

Stella listened to Fairly lay out the plan, yet again. They had gone over it with her until she could repeat every angle, every possible hitch, every response she should have. She felt confident, but she was scared out of her mind.

Her heart ached for Orion. He was being supportive and he truly believed in her ability. He trained her self-defense moves over and over until it was second nature. Her reflexes were fast, New Species fast, but she was still small and could be overpowered.

"We're calling Halpern to pick you up tomorrow morning, ostensibly to bring you to a sit down with the FBI, but when Rolla and I cancel with him, we expect that he'll take the opportunity to contact Princetti," Fairly was saying.

Stella nodded, and looked at Orion. He wanted to be the one to accompany her with Halpern, but it had been vetoed. It was too high stress a situation to expect him to be able to function. His instincts would get in the way of their goals, so one of the humans from the Task Force would accompany her with Halpern. Rolla and Fairly had argued against anyone going with them, but Justice made the point that it would look suspicious if New Species allowed one of their females to leave with a human. New Species were incredibly protective of their females, and doubly so for Gift females.

They reviewed some of the finer points of the plan and then dispersed. Stella and Orion would go to the Medical Center so her tracker could be inserted and then they were going home. Before they left, Justice handed an envelope to Orion.

"We all appreciate what you're doing Stella," Justice told her, "It's…" he stopped and had to restart, "It's an incredibly sacrifice for you and your mate. There's no way we can ever repay your generosity. Thank you."  
Stella felt the truth behind his statement.

Orion nodded at him and pulled her behind him. They walked in silence to Medical. Orion held her hand, squeezing every so often when Stella's thoughts got dark. He could read her so well now. No one had ever understood her so quickly.

Trisha was waiting for them at the Medical Center. She inserted a small device into the fleshy part of Stella's arm. She waved what looked like a remote control in front of it, and then looked at a computer, making sure the GPS was working correctly.

She didn't say much while she worked, but when Stella jumped during the insertion, she smiled at her.

"Thank you, Stella," Trisha said, regarding her seriously.

"It's fine," Stella said, waving away the comment, trying to make light of the situation, "I'm the only one who understands Italian here anyway. It had to be me."

Trisha smiled again and chuckled, recognizing that Stella was covering her nervousness. Her chuckle wasn't one of amusement but more of kindness.

Orion said nothing, just nodded at Trisha and led Stella away.

"What's in the envelope?" Stella asked as they walked.

Orion looked down, like he'd forgotten what was in his hand, and then he smiled, a genuine smile of true happiness, "It's mating papers," Orion said, "we're official."

Stella smiled back, feeling a little giddy, "Really?"

"Yup," Orion replied as he held the door open for Stella, "You're officially Mrs..." he trailed off, "I don't have a last name."

He looked worried.

"I thought it was North," Stella said.

Orion looked relieved, "I hadn't decided," he said, "It never seemed important before, not like it is now."

He stopped her at the door to her room, cupping the back of her neck and kissing her, "You're Stella North."

Stella swept her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss. Something about having his last name made her feel owned by him, like she finally belonged, and it made her a little wild, "I really like that," she said, "Orion and Stella North, mated couple." She whispered against his mouth.

Orion picked her up behind her thighs and kicked the door shut behind him. He turned her around until her back was against the door. He made quick work of her shorts and t-shirt, but merely unbuttoned his pants to free his throbbing cock.

Stella wanted to possess him completely, and when he would have thrust into her, she dropped her thighs and with a move that would make Darkness proud, whipped her body around and pushed Orion against the door. Then she fell to her knees.

Orion looked down at her, eyes narrowed, but with a half smile, "Stella," he warned.

Stella gripped his cock in her hand, loving the smooth skin that moved like velvet over the hard shaft. She gave him a few tight pumps before kissing the tip. Fluid leaked from the top and she licked it, scooping it with her tongue and into her mouth.

"Fuck Stella," Orion groaned.

She swirled her tongue around the head, before taking him between her lips. She tightened her lips and pushed him back, as far as he would go.

A spurt of superheated precum shot into the back of her throat and she pulled forward, swallowed and then pushed down on him again.

Orion's hands came up to her head, tucking her hair behind her ears and out of the way so he could watch her mouth. Her eyes flickered up to him and she was struck by the desire she saw there.

"I love you so much Stella," Orion groaned.

Her fingers climbed up his thighs. One hand moved to his smooth sac, tracing with her fingertips and rolling his testicles. His hips thrust, just a fraction before he pushed his ass against the wall.

Stella loved that she could make him out of control, but she loved just as much, how gentle he tried to be with her, how he worried about her and only wanted to make her happy. She felt him grow harder and hotter, and then he was picking her up underneath her arms and wrapping her legs around his waist.

"My turn," he said against her lips before his tongue mated with hers.

She purred around his mouth, getting louder as his lips trailed along her jawline, before he nipped her earlobe. Stella reached between their bodies, grasping his slick shaft and positioning it. He immediately thrust into her. Stella gasped, his size and length pushing him right against her cervix.

Orion immediately drew back, "Are you okay?" he looked into her eyes.

Stella wrapped her arms around his neck, "Totally," she said.

Orion had one hand propped next to her head, the other held her beneath her ass. His eyes locked with her gaze, and he withdrew, before slowly thrusting into her again. Stella's eyes closed.

"Look at me, Stell," he demanded.

Stella's eyes opened and he thrust again, a little harder this time. Stella bit down on her lip, feeling a delicious tightness beginning low in her belly and slowly reaching toward her center and up her spine.

Orion didn't take his eyes from Stella's. She allowed her fingers to trace his face, over the wide bridge of his nose, across his full lips. She dragged her fingernails over his chest, and circled his wide flat nipples. Orion's pupils flared and she leaned forward, pulling the tiny pucker into her mouth. She let her teeth gently bite the tip before suckling at him.

A purr erupted from Orion's chest and he lost control. He pumped into her, his pelvis slamming into the gentle cradle of her hips and stimulating her clit. Stella let her head fall against the door. Orion bent his head, watching his cock withdraw from her body, wet and shiny with her moisture, before slamming back, balls deep, inside her.

"I can't get enough of you," he ground out, each word punctuated with a thrust, "I'll never get enough of you."

Stella gasped.

Orion snarled deep in his throat, "I'm close baby. I want to feel you flutter all around me."  
His words threw her over the edge and she came, shaking and trembling, a full body quake that left her panting and slightly delirious. She felt a warm gush from Orion as he came, his cock pulsing and thrusting. He never pulled out of her, just turned them and walked them to the bed. He kissed her as he laid her down and starting thrusting in and out of her slowly.

"I love how you're always hard," Stella said through a purr.

"How could I help it," Orion asked, "You're a fucking dream, Stella."

Stella arched her back, trying to push him deeper and deeper, he bumped her cervix again and she groaned. She loved the pleasure/pain that zinged through her each time he did that.

"Again, Orion," she said.

So he did, he thrust again and again until their bodies were slick with sweat and all Stella could see and feel and smell was Orion.

Stella came with a gentle roar, but Orion's shook the bed. A pounding on the wall next to Stella's head reminded her of her first night in her room and she started to giggle. Orion began to laugh as well, his body shaking and, as a result, causing interesting things to happen to Stella's body. She gasped and Orion began thrusting again, over and over, until exhausted, they both finally fell asleep.

 **Chapter 21**

Orion heard the phone ring and Stella answer. They had slept in, taking solace in each other and talking about the future. She had showered a little while earlier, but not Orion. He wanted to smell her on him, especially if he was to give her up.

He waited for her to enter the room, knowing what she would say, but hoping he was wrong.

Stella's face was pale and he could smell her fear when she finally entered.

"They're ready for me," she said, meeting his eyes and biting her lip, "Halpern is at the gate."

Orion crossed the room and wrapped her up in his arms.

"I hate this," she said, wrapping her arms around him and choking on a sob.

Orion closed his eyes tightly, wanting nothing more than to whisk her away to the Wild Zone, remain hidden and away from any human that would interfere in their life.

"I will take you away," Orion said, "make sure no one finds you."  
Stella drew back and examined his face.

"It would be nice," he continued, knowing she would never agree, "wouldn't it?"  
Stella snorted, leaning her head against his chest, "Thank you," she said, very quietly.

She pulled away from him and waited for him at the door, "I guess we should go?"

Orion nodded, letting her lead him from the room. She clasped his hand tightly, linking her fingers with his, but he wasn't close enough. He pulled her to his side, picked her up and lifted her so they were nose to nose.

"I love you Stella North," he said, "and you will be fine. Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know," she said, staring at his face, memorizing him, "I love you too."  
Justice was waiting for them outside the dorm, "I'll drive you to the entrance. Trey, a member of the Task Force will meet us there. Halpern's been searched. He has no weapons and a tracker was put on his car, though we expect he knows it."

Orion held Stella close to him, his arm around her waist, "And the surveillance vehicles?"

"Out," Justice replied, "In position and waiting at different locations to follow."

"Princetti?"

"Also under surveillance. He arrived in Sacramento and is driving toward Reservation as we speak. Thought he was being clever and had his look-alike go toward Lake Tahoe, but we had two groups on him."

Stella didn't say much. Orion could feel the tension in her entire body and he hated it. They reached the gate all too quickly.

Senator Halpern stood with his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels like he didn't have a care in the world. He smiled when he saw them, and held his hand out to Stella.

"Miss Turner," he said, taking her hand firmly, "I'm so grateful you were willing to do this. I thank you, and your country thanks you."

Stella shook his hand, but Orion didn't miss the shiver of distaste that passed over her body, "Of course," she replied.

Trey Roberts stood with his feet planted apart and his arms crossed. He opened the rear door for Stella, "Miss Turner," he said, "I'll be accompanying you to Sacramento with Senator Halpern. I'll be with you while we meet with Agent Fairly and Agent Rolla."

"Nice to meet you," Stella said to Trey, though she had already met him during planning.

Orion had let go of Stella's hand earlier, the team having agreed that it was better Halpern not know she had a mate. He nodded to her once before she got in the car, "Stella," he said.

Trey closed the door and jogged to the passenger side of the car before getting in.

"Justice," Senator Halpern said, "I'll take good care of her."  
Justice smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "Just bring her back," he replied.

Senator Halpern nodded and got into the driver's seat. Orion had to clench his fists to stop himself from pulling Halpern out of the car and slamming him onto the hood. Justice put out a hand, low and toward the ground, silently asking Orion to stay-put, let them leave.

He didn't know if he could do it. He took a step away, grasping a temporary metal fence that had been placed around the entrance to guide visitors around security. He wrapped his hands around it and squeezed, trying to look nonchalant, but dying inside. He watched the car roll to a stop and the New Species at the gate waved them through. He watched the brakes lights engage and then disengage and the car drive away.

Orion felt something rip in his chest; the tether that bound him to Stella went taut and snapped as she was driven away from him, and he roared in pain. Without knowing it, he lifted the gate and slammed it back into the ground. It groaned and split. He threw the metal piece left in his hand and it embedded itself in the door of a van parked nearby. His hands went to his head and he covered his face, the roar dying on his lips. His knees hit the ground and his forehead touched the pavement. _Wrong wrong wrong._ His body told him.

"Orion," Justice said firmly, bringing him back from the brink, "she needs you to stay in control. Let's go to command, we still have a lot to do."  
 **Chapter 22**

Stella's heart hurt. Each mile that grew between her and Orion was more and more painful, until she couldn't pretend to engage in the small talk Halpern was throwing her way. She finally sat in silence, watching the scenery, while Trey answered the Senator's questions. She wondered how long she had before he made his move. She went through the possibilities in her head and the appropriate responses.

They had been driving about an hour when she caught the Senator's eyes on her in the rearview mirror.

"Do you mind if we make a pit stop?" he said.

This was it.

"No," Stella said, as Trey turned around to glance at her.

"We should keep going," he said to the senator.

"Sorry," the Senator explained, "I was up early, didn't use the restroom at Reservation. I'll just be a moment."

He pulled the car up to a gas station, but drove around the back, away from the gas pumps. He jumped out of the car, and started toward the station.

"Ready, Stell?" Trey asked, not looking at her, but keeping his eyes on the retreating figure of the Senator.

She met his calm serious gaze and nodded.

Before Senator got to the door he stopped, and took out his cell phone, bringing it to his ear. He walked inside, still talking, and when he came out, he started jogging back to the car, phone still to his ear.

He hung up and opened the door.

His cold blue eyes met Stella's, "The meeting is earlier than I thought, so we need to get a move on."

He put the car in gear and started driving, but headed in a different direction away from route 89.

"Is the meeting somewhere else?" Trey asked, "I'll need to let Reservation know."

He took out his phone, getting ready to dial.

"No," Senator Halpern said, looking down at his phone, "I guess it isn't, I misunderstood."

He must have gotten a text message, because he turned the car around again, on their original route. They passed signs for a state park, and the landscape began to look increasingly like Reservation, making Stella's homesickness, or Orion-sickness, worse.

"Have you ever camped here?" Halpern was asking Trey.

"No," Trey answered, "you?"

"Yeah," he said, "you have to see it. Gorgeous. Really old trees. The streams are great for swimming in the summer."

"Huh," Trey said, "cool."

Stella watched him, though Trey seemed relaxed, she sensed he was worried. Waiting for Halpern to make his move was draining.

Halpern made a quick right turn onto a dirt road, following the signs to a hiking trail.

"Just a second, guys," he said, "I can't hold it anymore."

Stella's body tensed, but she shrugged, "Okay."  
Halpern jumped out of the car and went to the trees. Trey scanned the empty parking area.

"How are you doin' Stella?" he asked, not looking back at her.

"My heart is in my throat," she answered, feeling slightly breathless.

She saw the corner of Trey's mouth lift, "Exciting, isn't it?" he joked.

"I would hit you, but I don't want to hurt you," she replied drily.

Halpern came walking out of the woods, and got back into the car.

"Excuse me," he said, reaching toward the glove box.

Stella saw Trey lean his legs to the side, as Halpern reached to open the box, but instead of opening it, he stabbed Trey's thigh with a syringe he had hidden in his sleeve.

"Shit!" Trey said, pulling it out and reaching toward Halpern.

But whatever Halpern had given Trey was fast-acting, because his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped over the armrest.

Stella stared wide-eyed at Trey, her heart thumping double time. It was so loud she could hear it in her ears. It wasn't her heart pounding, she realized a second later, it was the _thump thump_ of helicopter blades.

"Now, Stella," Halpern said, smiling coldly, "Why don't we get to know each other a little better?"

Stella didn't like being trapped in the car with him and she jumped out. Orion had told her, when she felt threatened, run.

She could hear his voice in her head, " _Don't let him corner you. Use your elbows, use your fingers. Fight him, Stella. And if you can't fight, run. Run and I'll find you, wherever you go, I'll find you."_

She backed away from him, keeping an eye on the helicopter that was landing nearby. Halpern walked closer to her, but she moved to the other side of the car, keeping it between her, Halpern, and the helicopter. She stopped, surprised, when she saw Agent Rolla jump out. It felt like every muscle relaxed at once. They would arrest Halpern and she would see Orion. This whole operation was just one long stressful ride. It was over.

Until the next person exited the helicopter.

He was tall; taller than Halpern, but smaller than her father had been. In fact, he looked nothing like her dad. Stella found herself wondering what her grandmother looked like, because there was no similarity between her father and Luca Princetti. Where her father had warm brown eyes, his were tiny, and close set. His nose was long and thin, and probably could be called regal. Her father's nose, he used to joke, was a Roman nose, you'd find his nose cut into marble. She remembered this man. She remembered him poking his long thin fingers at her tiny body, bruising and scaring her. She remembered his hands squeezing her arms as he held her up, showing her off to a roomful of men, all of them large and leering.

As he passed Agent Rolla, he clapped him on the shoulder.

 _Why didn't I realize he was lying?_ Stella thought, but then she realized all the plans, all the descriptions of contingencies and connections, those were all Fairly.

Stella's muscles tensed, and she ran. She wasn't going to mess around, she wasn't going to think about it, she was fast and she ran. She felt a stinging sensation in her back, and knew they'd hit her with something, but her adrenaline was flowing fast, and she muscled through.

If she could just get to the treeline, she thought, she could lose them. Her vision was getting hazy around the edges, and she started to feel disconnected from her body. So she concentrated, one foot in front of the other. She felt another sting, this one in her neck, and she knew, she was done. The ground came up to meet her. Her breath came fast, panting as she tried to will her body to move. She saw a pair of shiny shoes in front of her face. She could hear people speaking, but couldn't make out the words. Her eyes began to close and Orion's voice came to her, " _I'll find you, wherever you go, I'll find you."_


	7. Chapter 23-24

**Chapter 23**

Orion watched on the computer as the tiny blip that was Stella moved farther and farther away from him. He waited with Justice, Tiger, and Vengeance in a command room. Task Force members and agents were radioing in, keeping everyone abreast of the situation.

After his explosion at the gate, he'd pulled himself together and entered a state of calm. It had happened to him a few times before, at Mercile, when things got really bad and he needed his wits about him to survive. No matter how badly his body had hurt, and no matter how angry he'd been at the technicians and doctors, he'd stayed detached and hadn't let himself dwell on his feelings.

Agent Fairly was reporting from the field. He and Tim, along with other members of the human Task Force were in various locations, trailing Senator Halpern, or set up in position along the route. He watched the blip stop.

"They're stopping," Brian, one of the humans reported, "Halpern is exiting the car."  
Justice and Orion waited, while Vengeance stalked around the room, pacing back and forth while he listened.

"Sounds like he's taking a piss," Brian said, "He's returning to the car. Vehicle Three following."

"Made the call to Halpern," Agent Fairly's voice reported calmly, "He responded that he would bring Stella back to Reservation."

"Agent Rolla," Justice said, "Please report."

There was only static where Agent Rolla's voice should have been.

"Agent Rolla, report," Justice repeated.

"Fairly?" Justice questioned.

"Agent Rolla's signal is gone," Fairly said tightly.

Orion waited, refusing to panic.

"We lost him," Fairly said, "his signal disappeared at Princetti's rendezvous location."

"Shit," Justice said, "Is the back-up vehicle in place?"

"Backup reporting," a voice said calmly, "We have visual on Rolla."

"Keep eyes on," Tim's voice.

There was the sound of popping over the radio, one that Orion recognized all too well, and it was confirmed a moment later.

"We're under fire," the voice said, "We lost him. They have a bird. Shit!"

Orion could hear the gunfire over the radio. He could hear the humans from the Task Force radioing back and forth to each other, finding safer positions, laying covering fire.

"The bird is gone," a voice reported breathlessly, "We have one injured. Vehicle is disabled. No sign of Rollo among casualties. Looks like he got on the bird with Princetti."

"Vehicle One," Tim asked as if they hadn't just been betrayed mightily, "Report."

"Halpern is pulling off," a voice said,

Justice looked over at Tiger, "Get vehicles and NSO moving," he said, his teeth clenched, "I want multiple officers in each vehicle. Orion?"

Orion had his arms crossed tightly across his chest, the only thing that was stopping him from ripping the room apart the moment he realized what a clusterfuck the whole operation had become.

He made eye contact with Justice, not trusting himself to speak.

"Go," Justice said.

Orion tore out of the room, running as fast as he could to the security offices. There, NSO officers were suiting up and listening to Fury as he barked orders. Orion grabbed a vest and slapped it on his chest. Fury handed him a weapon and extra clips.

"Orion and I have the lead vehicle," he ordered, "Let's go."

A fleet of black SUVs were waiting for them at the gate. New Species officers working the wall stood straight and tense.

Magic, looking more serious than he had in all the time Orion had known him, met his eyes and didn't look away, "Go get our Gift," he said.

Orion gave him a short nod and climbed in next to Fury.

"You do what you need to do," Fury said as he pulled away from Reservation, tearing down the highway, "We've got your back."

Orion took in his words but couldn't respond. All language had left him and he was functioning solely on instinct. _Find my mate. Protect._

Fury started reporting what he was hearing from central command.

"Vehicle One was disabled. Spike strips were placed at the turn around. Vehicle Two is following. Fairly and Tim are enroute to intercept Halpern. The NSO bird has taken off from Homeland."

Orion heard everything.

"Vehicle Three was run off the road. They've been engaged. Vehicle disabled. Halpern's pulled off at the state park. They're parked."

Fury was silent.

"Vehicle Three has taken out the threat. We're sending NSO, convoy stays together."

Fury continued to speed along the highway, speaking aloud when he heard reports.

"Vehicle Two is at the park. They have Trey, he's unconscious. They've lost the bird. No sign of Stella."

Orion's head pounded, each statement fueling his rage. He punched the dashboard, "NO!"

His brain and his heart were screaming at him. His instincts going crazy. Fury was pulling into the state park, tires spinning in the dirt. Orion saw Tim Oberto and Task Force members spread out. One of the medics was kneeling next to Trey Robert's prone body.

He jumped out of the car before Fury could put it in park. His body vibrated with tension and anxiety. He ran to the car, where he could smell Stella, Halpern, and Trey. He put his nose in the air, trying to find her scent. There were more humans, Rolla, and someone else who wore an expensive cologne that made his stomach turn. He looked over at Fury, who, as a canine, had a better sense of smell than he did. He let Fury lead. All the time, his brain screaming at him; _find her. Find her. Protect her._ At the edge of the parking lot was a new scent, medicinal, and similar to the one that clung to Trey.

"They tranqed her," Fury growled.

The grass was packed down, showing that multiple feet had gone in the same direction. Stella's scent was fainter, and then, all at once, he was struck with scent overlaying scent. The medicinal tranquilizer was strong, then there was the cologne. A huge depression in the grass made Orion falter, and go to one knee. She had fallen. Here. He ran his hand along the grass as if he could still feel her body heat.

He tipped his head to the sky and roared. All of his pain and all of his rage burst from his throat before ending on a whine, more animal than any sound he'd ever made before.

He gripped the sides of his head, pulling at his hair.

"We have a lock on her position," Fury said quietly, "Homeland is following her blip on radar. We need to get moving. I assume you want to be on the NSO helicopter."

Orion nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

 _I'm coming,_ he thought to Stella, wishing she could hear him, _I'll find you._

 **Chapter 24**

Stella woke up; her head pounding like she had the mother of all hangovers. Her hair was flying all over her face, tickling her nose. The combination of headache and hair was too much. She tried to move her hand toward her face, to scratch her nose and tuck her hair out of the way, but found her hand wouldn't move.

Stella opened her eyes, and remembered.

 _Mother fucker,_ she thought.

Rolla had betrayed them and Halpern had handed her over to Princetti. The last thing she remembered was running, and getting tagged with a dart.

Stella lifted her head, causing a wave of nausea to roll through her body, and swallowed hard.

"You're probably feeling pretty bad," a voice nearby said.

Stella turned her head. Another mistake because her eyes could barely focus. Bits and pieces of the room became clear to her. A foot. A fan. A table.

Stella tried to move her legs, but they were bound as well.

"Have some water," the voice said again.

A face came into focus. It was Halpern. He was dressed comfortably in jeans and a t-shirt. He held out a glass of water, a straw pointing toward Stella.

She debated for a moment, fearing it may be drugged.

"It's just water, pretty kitty," he said, shaking the glass and making the water slosh around, "nothing else."

Stella narrowed her eyes at him and moved her head forward a fraction. Her mouth was dry and swollen and desperate for liquid. Halpern immediately pulled it back and laughed.

"Just joking," he said, and took a sip from the glass.

He held the glass out to her again, but Stella didn't move. He put the straw to her mouth, holding it to her lips. She opened them and he allowed her a long pull.

"Not too much," he said, "you'll get sick."

He pulled the glass away well before Stella was finished and put it on a table next to her.

"I'm sure you're wondering," Halpern began, leaning back in his chair and crossing his leg at the knee, "how this happened."

Stella sighed. Her vision was clearing and the awful nausea was abating. Unfortunately, her head continued to pound and Halpern's voice was making it worse. Her situation was dire. That much she knew. An attempt to move her legs showed her they were bound at the ankles, probably to the bed. Her hips were secured as well, and her hands were tied, palms up, on either side of her. She gave an experimental twist and found she could move her shoulders. Her head was the only other part of her body that wasn't tied down, but it hurt so much she didn't want to move it.

"Spare me the bad guy monologue," Stella said hoarsely to Halpern.

Halpern laughed, "Funny," he said, "I promise to just throw you in the shark tank. I won't tell you about it first."

"Thanks," Stella said drily.

"But aren't you wondering," Halpern said, "what's going to happen to you? Don't you want to know _why_?"

Stella looked away from his face. His cold blue eyes were sparkling and though he was affecting the posture of someone who hadn't a care in the world, his foot was starting to bob up and down, giving away his tension.

"I'll bite," Stella got out, "why?"

He shifted in his chair, stood up, and brought it closer to the bed. He propped his chin on his hand and watched Stella's face.

"New Species has something I want," he explained, "and I had access to something Princetti wanted. One hand washes the other. I'm helping him and he'll help me."

Stella looked away, "Okay."

"Okay?" Halpern asked, surprised, "Okay? That's it?"

Stella refused to look at him. She concentrated on her legs, trying to stretch, investigating whether there was any give in the bindings and if she could slip her feet out.

Halpern's hand landed on her thigh, his fingers bit into her muscle and she looked at him.

"Stella," he said, "please. You're not getting out of here."  
As he spoke, his hand moved along her leg, until it rested at the juncture of her thighs. With her hips secured she couldn't jerk away from him.

"Don't touch me," Stella warned.

Halpern held her gaze. She felt his fingers on the button of her jeans and then he was undoing it and sliding the zipper down. Stella jerked, trying to displace him.

"Orion will kill you," she snarled, "He'll tear of your arm and beat you with it. Then he'll hand your other arm to Vengeance, and he'll beat you."

He smiled. With his other hand, Halpern grazed her chest. His hand landed over her breast, then gripped her, tightly through her shirt and bra. His fingers found her nipple and he squeezed and pulled. Stella cried out in fear and pain.

 _No no no. Don't touch me!_

He left her breast and continued along her chest until it came to rest against her neck. He turned his hand until it covered her throat and lightly squeezed, not cutting off her air, but tight enough that he was showing her he could.

"You can't stop me, Stella," Halpern said softly, watching her face as his hand dipped into her pants.

She cried out, feeling his hand cover her mound. His fingers traced the edge of her panties. The tips gliding along her folds.

"No!"

Her hair was sticking to her face, the fan blowing it against her cheeks where her tears were trapping it. She hissed and snapped at him, but his hand just pressed down tighter, keeping her head on the pillow and making her see spots.

 _Orion!_ She thought desperately.

"Halpern! Arresto!" a voice boomed from the doorway.

Halpern's hand immediately withdrew from Stella's body. The one on her neck squeezed gently for a moment and then released, as he stood up, his hands held out in front of him.

"I was just playing," he said jokingly.

"That is my property," the accented voice said, "I did not give you permission to touch it."

Halpern bowed his head, "I apologize."  
"I'm sure some of the other Gifts would entertain you. Why don't you see what you can find?"

Stella didn't miss the sick look of glee that flashed across the Senator's face before he headed to the door.

"He will damage them!" she called out, horrified that anyone could place another being at the mercy of such a man, "He may kill them and you won't be able to get anymore. New Species will never make this mistake again."

Luca Princetti's face came into view. His long body tilted toward her until he was only a breath away from her face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them and standing.

"You're right," he said, "Gifts are too rare to be wasted on such a man."

"Get him a whore," he called out in Italian, "don't let him near my Gifts."

"But…" Halpern argued.

"Adesso basta!" Princetti fumed, "Go."

She heard the door slam and Princetti smiled at her.

"It's been a long time, my dear," he said kindly, "I am so sorry you were taken from me."

"I think it worked out," Stella replied, "for me."

"Ah, yes," Princetti said, smoothing Stella's hair away from her face lovingly, "My dear son. My older sons are also looking forward to meeting you."

Stella swallowed and wished she could make him stop touching her. As if he could read her mind, Princetti frowned.

"You see," he said, his hand running over the crown of her head and stopping, "you are an animal. A wonderfully exotic and rare gift given to me in gratitude for the millions of dollars I donated to Mercile. Despite my son raising you as if you were a child, despite your ability to speak, to walk upright, etcetera, you are not a person. You are not anything but a pet. My pet. To be disciplined and shaped as I see fit. And now that I have you back, you will be."

Stella couldn't look away from the eyes observing her, waiting for her to respond. A growl had been building in her throat and his eyes widened. He stood up and took a step away.

"Vincenzo!" he called out.

Stella heard the door open and footsteps approach the bed. A small dark man stood waiting, a riding crop in one hand.

"Si, Signore?" he asked.

"This animal needs some discipline," Princetti explained, never looking away from her, "Please see to it."

"Si."

"The next time I see you, gattino," Princetti hissed at her, "you will know your place."

Stella watched him leave, never once looking back. The man, Vincenzo, who was left surveyed her thoughtfully. He put down the riding crop and moved to a table. Stella watched him, her heart pounding. She snarled at his figure, her fingers curling into claws. He turned from the table and approached her. He held in his hand a black piece of leather, and when he got closer she saw metal prongs attached to it.

Before she could react, he was on her, one knee in her chest, with his hands wrapped around her throat. She snarled and hissed, trying to bite him. He put the leather around her neck and she heard it click. She felt the metal bite into her throat, and the man jumped away. She growled, watching him move around the bed. She tracked him, waiting to see what he would do. He lurched toward her and she snarled and hissed. A second later an electrical shock ran the length of her body, making her limbs contort and tense. Stella screamed out, tossing her head from side to side, trying to detach the collar.

Vincenzo took a step toward her again and she snarled, warning him away, and again, she was shocked with electricity.

The shock went on and on, tensing and contracting every muscle in Stella's body. She screamed and cried, but it didn't end. There was nothing but pain. Exhausting, merciless pain.

 **Thank you for reading! Your comments and critiques are very helpful! ~ Ripley**


	8. Chapter 25-27

**Chapter 25**

Orion closed his eyes while the helicopter dipped and swayed. He was on his way to Stella. That was all that mattered. That he get to her. That he get to her _in time_.

 _In time_.

His mind raced with what could happen, what might be happening right now, while he was airborne, watching the scenery of Northern California. He could almost hear her voice. He imagined her calling his name.

The earphones over his head transmitted Tim and Fury's voices to him. They were hashing out a plan, identifying targets, coming up with tactical responses.

 _If this, then this…_

 _If that, then this…_

Tim and Fury were the only ones who spoke, except for the pilot, who periodically interrupted to let them know how far away they were, how many more minutes until landing.

"Orion?" Fury's voice caught his attention.

"Yes?" he asked, his voice barely audible, the words like ash in his mouth.

"We have a team to cover you," Fury explained, "You find Stella."

As if he could do anything else. He would find his mate, and he would kill Senator Halpern and then he would kill Agent Rolla and then he would kill Luca Princetti…

"Orion!"

He growled in response.

"Brace for landing!"

 _Finally_.

The helicopter was dropping them off in a clearing. The teams would break off and all converge on Stella's location. Or the location of the blip. Orion wasn't naive; Rolla knew about the GPS locator.

 _No._ He would face that when the time came. He had to believe that Stella was nearby.

The helicopter landed hard and he yanked off the safety harness, leaping out of the helicopter. A second helicopter landed and he saw Darkness and Vengeance exit. Luca Princetti was about to have hell rained down his head, and between him and Vengeance, Halpern would be broken into pieces.

Darkness gave him a nod and Orion broke off to follow him. They raced through the forest, feet barely touching the ground. They leapt over trees and cleared streams effortlessly. Darkness moved through the forest like a shadow, and not for the first time, Orion was glad to have his help.

Vengeance looked like an avenging angel. His hair glowed gold in the sunlight that found the ground through the top of trees; his entire being focused on forward movement. He remembered Vengeance's son Asher, talking about his dad being a superhero. He remembered how Vengeance had scoffed and threw Asher up in the air before catching him and nuzzling him. Surrounded by his friends, who left their mates to help him find his, he was filled with gratitude. And envy.

 _My mate. Need her._

Darkness slowed to a loping stalk, stepping only in shadows. They moved silently, communicating wordlessly as they reached their destination.

A large shingled house sat on the shore of the lake. Orion saw two humans standing on the porch. He could smell cigarette smoke, indicating at least one more nearby. Darkness pointed to the roof. On a widow's walk, Orion could see two more men. Surely there wouldn't be so many guards protecting nothing.

Darkness pointed to Vengeance, they would take out the guards, and Orion could head around the back. He nodded his agreement and took off. He could smell more humans as he rushed around the back of the house, and suddenly stopped, and breathed in.

 _There._

Halpern.

They had the right place. _Thank God._

Orion heard the muffled snap and crack of bones and he knew that the guards they'd seen were dead. He could smell at least one more. He stepped around the corner. A human studied the forest in front of him, not hearing Orion's approach. One twist to the man's neck and he fell to the ground. Orion looked around. He saw a camera at the far end of the back porch, but it was pointing toward the lake, not in the direction Orion was moving.

 _Good._

He entered the house, breathed in deeply, and nearly choked. Stella's scent was all over the place, and two more New Species, females.

They were probably Gifts. What a fool this Princetti was. Orion was going to nail him to the wall.

He stepped further into the kitchen, looking around and stopped. He nearly went to his knees when he took in red splatters against the bright white porcelain of the sink. Without consciously deciding, he moved closer. In the bottom was an instrument with which he was all too familiar: a scalpel. And resting nearby, the GPS chip Trisha had inserted into Stella's arm. He heard a creak of footsteps above his head and was moving. Stella was here, or had been, or might be.

He saw no one as he moved up the stairs and along the hallway. He opened door after door, but each room was empty. The last door led to stairs, and Orion followed them, stepping lightly and soundlessly.

He stopped at the top, shutting his eyes against the scene that greeted him. A large bed, fitted with cuffs for legs, hips, and hands. Stella's scent, layer upon layer of fear and pain, terror and hopelessness. Splashes of red against white sheets and burning, the smell like lightening had discharged; all of it was burned into his brain, an image he would never ever forget. She was not here, but she had been.

He could smell the cologne from the park, Halpern, and an unfamiliar male. They would all pay. He would…

He heard a creak again.

He went down the stairs like a ghost and there, at the door, met Senator Halpern.

"She's not here!" Halpern said, desperately.

But before he could utter another word, Orion was on him. Hands around his throat and dragging him down the stairs soundlessly. He could smell Stella on him, a scent that was only for Orion to know.

 _NO! NO!_

He went out the back door and pulled Halpern into the woods. He breathed in. His nose didn't lie, Halpern had touched her, intimately. Orion snarled, and squeezed Halpern's throat. He felt the small bones in his larynx break. Halpern tried to speak, but not even a squeak emanated from his ruined throat. Still holding him, Orion walked him backwards, slamming Halpern into a pine tree so hard that needles rained down on their heads.

Orion bared his teeth and breathed in again, not wanting to believe what his senses were telling him. Halpern had touched Stella. Touched her where only ever Orion had touched her. Touched her as only a mate should touch. He lurched toward Halpern, but when he was about to tear into his throat with his teeth, he felt a hand at his shoulder.

Vengeance.

Vengeance's nostrils flared, coming to the same conclusions that Orion had. He took Halpern's hand and lifted it to his face. Orion smelled the sudden scent of Halpern's bladder release. His handsome face was contorted in pain and fear. And it made Orion joyous.

This evil man would be afraid in his last moments. Whatever fear he had brought to others, to Blue, to his Stella… Orion nearly wept when he thought of what this human had done to his Stella… he would revisit on him, a thousand fold.

Vengeance growled low in his throat, "I waited too long," he began, his voice merciless, "and I am sorry. I should have killed you for what you did to Blue."  
Vengeance held Halpern's hand while Orion held his throat. Halpern squirmed, trying to get away. Orion held his free hand against the tree, and shifted his hips to pin him more completely.

One by one, Vengeance broke Halpern's fingers. Slowly. Drawing out each moment. Tears ran down Halpern's face, which was deathly white, down to his lips. His mouth opened in a scream, but thanks to Orion, he couldn't make a sound.

When he was finished, Vengeance braced one arm on Halpern's shoulder and then pulled with the other, dislocating it.

"How many times," Vengeance asked, "how many times did you do this to her?"

Orion couldn't stand the stink of the man, and looked at Vengeance. Wordlessly they agreed to end it. Orion drew back a fist, and punched him in the throat, crushing his trachea completely, before letting him go.

Halpern fell to the ground, hand wrapped around his throat, heels digging into the dirt, back arching as he tried to suck in air.

Vengeance stood back, arms crossed, watching emotionlessly.

The blood vessels around Halpern's eyes burst, his eyes bulging, until finally, he stopped moving.

"That was not painful enough," Vengeance said, uncrossing his arms and stepping away.

Orion didn't care. Halpern was dead, that was all that mattered.

 _But his Stella_...

"She's not here," Vengeance answered when Orion turned back to the house, "We've searched. Found a human female, two Gifts. Task Force is with them. Darkness caught Stella's scent, he's following it now. Let's go."

Orion took off, catching Darkness's scent immediately.

Vengeance breathed deeply, "Be prepared, Orion," he said, looking at him sadly, "she's injured. I can smell her blood."

 **Chapter 26**

Stella had never really been in pain before. Her parents never spanked her. She hadn't been in fights. She was relatively graceful; her adolescence one of lankiness and not clumsiness. She didn't play contact sports. She had twisted her ankle once in dance class, but that was pretty much it.

Now, Stella existed in a spectrum of pain. She thought at first that being shocked was the worst pain she'd ever felt. Then, when the man, Vincenzo, had held down her shoulders and cut into her arm, using his fingers to pull out her GPS chip, she thought that was the worst pain she ever felt.

But she was wrong. That was baby pain.

This pain? Right now? This was pain.

Vincenzo had suspended her from an latticework of iron bolted into the ceiling. If Stella could see through the haze of drugs and ear ringing blows, she might have been able to appreciate the workmanship. As it was, she could only feel the cold, the bite of the iron against her wrists, the leather of the collar that sat tight against her throat, and the metal prongs that bit and spit fire into her body.

Her arms held her upright, but her feet were tiptoes could touch the floor, but her shoulders bore most of her weight. She was naked, though she was past the point of feeling embarrassed. When Halpern had touched her, she'd felt horrified. Now, Agent Rolla sat in a corner, watching her impassively. Luca Princetti stood nearby, waiting for Vincenzo's signs to approach her, while he, the master of this torment, flayed her alive.

Each sound of displeasure she made, each warning growl and hiss, brought about a shock. When that didn't stop her from attempting to claw, bite, and scratch, he had increased the voltage. Stella had bitten her tongue, she'd convulsed so hard. But she still resisted.

She hung lifelessly, the last few moments sapping what little strength she had. She listened to Princetti and Vincenzo decide their next course of action, until her brain shut off, and she hid herself away, in a warm cozy space with Orion.

He would cover her body, keeping her safe. He would stand between her and this world, this place of hurt.

She felt the bite of Vincenzo's cane. He'd long since given up the riding crop, but she held onto to Orion. To the hazy vision of comfort that it afforded her, until she felt Princetti's hands on her body again and she fought. She wrapped her fingers around the metal bands that encased her wrists and lifted her body to kick. She hissed and snarled, and felt the bite of the cane. Vincenzo knew just where to hit to inflict the maximum amount of damage. Stella had always been curvy, but somehow, with Vincenzo, she felt like every bone in her body was pressed against the skin, there was no cushion between them and the wood.

She heard Princetti laugh, just as the cane landed on her back. Vincenzo wasn't holding back. Stella was glad to see he was sweating and puffing, if he was going to kill her he was going to have to work for it.

Princetti's face came into focus, close to her own. She hated this. Hated him. This was the part that hurt the most, when he would try to kiss her. She felt his breath on her face and she pulled back her head. Vincenzo gripped her hair, pulling at the roots, holding her steady as Princetti licked the side of her face, and nuzzled his mouth against her neck.

Every move he made was a sin against what she'd shared with Orion. Orion's mouth was the only one that should touch her face, the only hands that should touch her breasts, the only hips that should press against her own.

Something made Vincenzo jerk, and the hand that held her head loosened minutely. Stella took the opportunity to bite, digging into Princetti's face with her teeth. He howled, pressing his hand against his cheek. She tasted his blood in her mouth and spit it at him.

"Putana!" he screamed at her and grabbed the cane from Vincenzo.

Stella saw she had pushed him beyond his limit. Vincenzo, while exhausted, was willing to put in the time to break her, but Princetti didn't have the patience.

Forgetting he had the cane in his hand, Princetti hit her. It crashed against her ribs. She felt something break, and she couldn't breathe.

Things felt far away, the pain receded and she heard another howl, joined by a snarl and a growl. Then screaming, endless screaming that rose in volume and cut off abruptly. She couldn't breathe but she didn't care because she didn't hurt anymore.

Arms cradled her gently and heat enveloped her. She stared at the dark brown eyes of her mother, tear-filled but so kind.

"Mommy," she gasped, "It hurts."  
"I know Stella Bella," her mother said, the tears spilling over her lashes and running down her beautiful lips.

She heard another voice, a much loved voice, calling her, "Stella!"  
Her mother's face seemed to pull away from her and Stella called out, "Don't leave!"

She couldn't see her anymore and the pain was threatening again, pushing at the edges of her being, waiting with icy fingers to grip her and pull her back down into hell.

"You're okay Stella," she heard a voice. Her mother? "I've got you. You're okay."

 **Chapter 27**

If Orion lived to be a hundred, he would never forget the horror of this place. He had crashed through the woods with his team, desperately following Stella's scent, when their enhanced hearing had led them to this place. It was literally a hole. A stone foundation with a wooden door, leading to this.

Orion heard grunting, and smelled Agent Rolla. They nearly missed the door it blended so seamlessly into the landscape. It was old, but solid with a modern lock, which still only took Darkness moments to open. The door opened to a surprisingly modern stairway, concrete, well-lit, with a safety railing. Darkness led them down, Orion in the middle, while Vengeance was behind.

Orion tried to make sense of what he heard. It was like someone was beating a sack, there were blows that didn't reverberate, instead absorbing the sound. He shook his head against the confusion and focused on what he saw. A long hallway led to another door, this one with no lock.

But when Darkness had opened it, Orion had become the animal that was built into his DNA.

First, he saw Stella, and he felt relief. _Thank God. She's alive._

But then he saw what they had done to her.

She was strung up by her hands. They had stripped her and her poor little body; the body that he had to be so careful with, so gentle to, because it was so much more fragile than anything he'd ever touched. Her body was a mass of bruises, blood, and welts. They had whipped her, caned her. He saw a leather collar around her neck and he saw Luca Princetti, the source of the expensive cologne, nuzzling into her neck. He saw Stella rear back and bite him and in a flash, he saw Princetti grab the cane and use all of his strength to slam it into Stella's ribs.

All of this took less than a second to process, but it was too long. Stella's eyes rolled back in her head.

Orion roared.

Darkness moved first. Agent Rolla went for his sidearm, but was too slow. When he would have pointed it, Darkness bent his arm back and fired the bullet into Rolla's brain. Vengeance took care of the unfamiliar human, lifting him and throwing him into the wall. When the man tried to stand, Vengeance lifted him again. The man screamed, a high terrified scream, and Vengeance slammed him against the wall, over and over, until the sound cut off in a gurgle and the man fell dead, at Vengeance's feet.

Orion stalked Princetti. He feinted left, and Orion countered. He tried to move around, but Orion was there. There would be no death painful enough for him. In all his life, whenever Orion had been made to fight, he had fought with his hands. He had punched and bit and kicked. Even when forced to fight humans at Mercile, Orion always believed he had fought with honor, as New Species should, without weapons.

But not now. His hands would be too quick. He wanted this man to suffer. Orion grabbed the cane out of Princetti's hand and cracked it over his knee, splitting it into jagged shards. Then he grabbed Princetti, and slammed him over the same knee, breaking Princetti's back. Orion rolled the now limp body off of him, before grabbing a wooden spike and driving it through Princetti's chest. It didn't hit his heart; he would die, that was a guarantee, but it would be slow. Orion stood, and pressed his boot on Princetti's throat, crushing it so he wouldn't have to hear his scream.

And then he turned to Stella.

In the seconds it had taken the males to disarm and kill the humans, Stella had lost consciousness and was only breathing tiny little gulps of air.

Orion lifted her body gently in his arms, trying to take the pressure off her wrists. He reached up with one hand and pulled at the chain connecting the manacle to the latticework, snapping it. He did the same with the other hand. He heard the chain fall to the ground and then his knees wouldn't support them both and he sat on the ground with her.

His hands floated along her body. There was no place that wasn't bruised or bloodied. He snarled at the collar around her neck and pulled it off, tossing it aside.

"Stella?" he whispered, leaning down and pressing his lips against her forehead. He turned his head and saw the shallow rise, and then stutter of her chest, as her body tried to get in air.

"Stella," he cleared his throat and said her name a little louder.

"She has a punctured lung," Darkness kneeled next to him, "They broke her ribs. Don't move her anymore. Fury will be here with a medic momentarily."

Orion didn't answer, he just laid his cheek against her head and breathed in, "I'm here, Stella," he said, "You're okay. I've got you. Stay with me Stella. Stay with me."


	9. chapters 28- 31

**Chapter 28**

Orion held Stella's hand while the human medic loaded her onto a backboard. He held her hand while the board was transported up the stairs and out of the hell she'd been subjected to, and he held her hand while they strapped her into the helicopter.

Orion existed in a state of suspended panic, each moment surreal. The medic worked frantically over her, inserting a chest tube to inflate her lungs. When she went into shock, and her blood pressure dropped, he started an IV and wrapped her in what looked like tinfoil.

Orion never let go of her hand. He dropped his head to hers, whispering in her ear, telling her she was safe, that he found her, that she would be okay, and above all, to stay with him.

 _Don't leave me. Please. Stella. Please._

The helicopter landed and when Orion became aware of their surroundings. He saw he wasn't at Reservation, but at Homeland. The door to the helicopter flew open, and a team of doctors and nurses began shouting over Stella. The backboard was lifted and rushed toward the Medical Center and Orion had no choice but to let go. He followed them; understanding little of what they were saying, but from their tones and quickly ordered directives, he saw how serious Stella's situation was.

The doctor, a small woman with a kind face, turned to him, "Please stay here."

Orion's voice cracked, "I can't," he said, choking, "I need to be with her."  
The doctor observed him a moment longer before nodding once, "Stay out of the way."  
She held the door open to Orion and entered into chaos.

He watched the doctors working over Stella, describing and enumerating her injuries; broken ribs, collapsed lung, possible concussion, broken wrists, dislocated shoulder, lacerations, second degree burns, contusions, possible sexual assault. Orion stood with his back to the wall, each declaration was a blow to his chest, a physical hit that made it harder and harder to breathe.

Machines began beeping frantically, and he heard the doctor call out, "She's coding!"

Orion covered his head, his legs wouldn't support his body, and he slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground. He watched them start chest compressions, and then, when her heart refused to beat, get the defibrillator and shock her. Her tiny body bounced and jerked. Her limbs flailing, but she had no heartbeat.

Orion began crawling to her. His legs wouldn't work right.

"Stella!" he roared.

The doctors continued to work, puffing air into her lungs, counting chest compressions.

"Stella! Goddamnit! Don't you leave me!" Orion yelled out over the din of the room.

His voice caught and he sobbed, "You can't leave me Stella. Please, don't leave me. Don't make me live without you. I can't do it," his voice trailed off and he wept, "I can't do it Stella. I can't do it."

He made it to the hospital bed, and reached up, pulling himself to standing with a strength he didn't have and burying his face in her stomach. His shoulder's shook with the force of his grief and he roared.

"We have a pulse!" a nurse cried out.

"BP rising," another reported.

"Keep talking to her," the doctor said, "Don't stop."

"She's stabilizing," another doctor reported.

"Stella," Orion said brokenly, kissing her stomach, her arm, any part of her he could reach, "I love you… I love you…"

 **Chapter 29**

Stella heard Orion.

 _Don't leave me! Don't make me live without you!_

 __She wanted to comfort him, but her body wouldn't listen to her. She tried to open her mouth to tell him that she would never leave him, but it wouldn't obey.

She tried to open her eyes, but it was like her eyelids were glued shut. Nothing worked right. She growled in frustration, but it was only in her head, she couldn't make a sound.

Orion's voice receded from her, and Stella tried to hang on, but it was too much and she let the darkness overtake her.

" _Stella."_

She was deep underwater and she couldn't reach the surface. She fought, pushing and kicking at the blackness that surrounded her and moved to the voice; to the light and the love she knew she'd find when she got to the source of the voice.

" _Stella."_

It was so hard and she just wanted to rest, to float in oblivion.

" _Stella. Please."_

So she fought harder, and it seemed like the light got brighter and brighter.

She came into her body slowly. First taking a breath, then feeling pain in her throat and chest when the air hit her lungs. Her awareness started in the center of her body, moving outward until she became aware of a hand holding hers and breath on her face, and lips against her temple. Stella flicked her tongue out, touching her lips. She opened her eyes and blinked against the brightness.

"Orion?" she choked.

"Stell?" she felt the lips leave her temple, and then she was staring into beautiful green eyes. Eyes that shimmered with tears that slipped down his face.

He kissed her lips softly and she could taste the salt.

Stella locked eyes with him, "Don't…" she started, and then her voice gave out.

Orion reached over and ran an ice chip along her lips before slipping it into her mouth. Her dry tissues absorbed the delicious moisture immediately and she was able to start again.

"Don't leave me," she got out.

"No no no," Orion shook his head, "I won't. I promise. I'm right here."

Stella looked around, seeing the hospital room for the first time. She took in the monitors near the bed, and looked down at her body. She lifted a hand tentatively and touched her throat. It was covered in gauze. She noticed both of her wrists were in splints. Her fingernails were broken and torn. But worst of all, each breath was like a zing of exposed nerve endings. It hurt. It hurt so much that Stella panted.

"Just relax," Orion said, stroking a hand over her face and down her hair, "just focus on this. Breath in," he said as he touched the crown of her head, "and breath out," he said as he finished stroking the length of her curls.

"Breath in," he did it again, "breath out."

Stella focused on his voice, on making her breath last the length of his strokes. She felt the tension leave her body and a weightlessness filled her. Her eyelids became heavy again, but she didn't want to look away from Orion.

"It's okay," he told her, smiling so his eyes looked so very green and his dimples appeared, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll keep you safe. Rest."

Stella allowed her eyes to close, but before she could, she whispered, "I love you."

His lips touched the corner of her mouth, "I love you, too."

"I'll never leave you," she said, remembering what he'd asked, just before she slipped back into sleep.

 **Chapter 30**

Stella was not an easy patient. Orion had to hand it to the medical staff here, New Species were generally pretty ornery, and Stella was no exception. As soon as she regained consciousness, and could stay awake, she asked to leave. Dr. Allie was very sweet, explaining her injuries, and how she needed to rest and recuperate.

"No offense," Stella answered with a sweetness that made Orion wince in sympathy for Dr. Allie, "but how the hell can I rest when your staff is waking me up every hour to take my vitals?"

Dr. Allie smiled, "You coded, Stella. Your heart stopped beating and we had to shock you to get it started."

Orion saw Stella's face pale and her eyes shifted away from Dr. Allie's. Dr. Allie noticed it too.

"Stella?" she asked.

Stella continued to look at the wall, seeming to forget about them completely, like she was somewhere else.

"Stella?" Orion said gently, and she jumped.

Her face was covered in a light sheen of sweat and her face looked a little green tinged. She leaned her head back against the pillows and swallowed, looking away from both of them.

"Fine," she said, "but I want to leave. Mark it down."

Dr. Allie nodded, "I know, Stella. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can."

Allie tipped her head toward the door and raised an eyebrow, silently asking Orion to meet her in the hall.

"I'll check in with you again this evening before I go off-shift, Stella," Dr. Allie told her.

Stella nodded and closed her eyes, "I'm just going to rest for a while, Orion," she said quietly.

Orion kissed her forehead, "Okay. I'm going to step out with Dr. Allie, but I'll be right back."

Stella nodded, not answering, but squeezed the hand gently that held hers until she sucked in a breath, "Fucking wrists," she muttered.

Allie stood waiting for Orion in the hall, looking through Stella's charts.

"Has Stella told you what happened to her when she was kidnapped?" Dr. Allie asked directly.

Orion squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, "No. She won't talk about it. Says she wants to forget it."

"Well, she hasn't," Allie said bluntly, "she's traumatized. Have you forgotten what happened to you at Mercile?"

"As much as I want to," Orion answered, "no. I don't think I'll ever forget what happened there."

"I'm putting in a referral for her to speak with Dr. Joyce Yard."

"The head shrink?" Orion asked.

"The psychologist," Dr. Allie corrected, "yes."

Orion ran his hand through his hair, "Whatever she needs," he said, looking into the room where Stella was lying with her eyes shut tightly, not yet asleep, but clearly exhausted, "if you think it will help, do it."

 **Chapter 31**

'I don't want to talk about, Dr. Yards," Stella repeated yet again.

"You can call me Joy," the doctor said, "and that's fine. You don't have to talk about it, but how about you listen?"

"Are you going to give me a guilt trip?" Stella asked tartly, "tell me about other New Species? Other Gifts? Tell me their stories?"

"Of course not," Dr. Yards… Joy… replied, "That's confidential. But I do want to talk about what you may experience as a result of the trauma you suffered."

Stella held up her arms, indicating her wrists that were still splinted, "I think I know what the result is."

Joy smiled, "You clearly know the physical results, but there are emotional results as well. As tough as you are, Stella, as resilient as I know you will be, there are things that your brain will do to cope that may throw you for a loop."

Stella's fingers went unconsciously to her throat, touching the gooey ointment that the nurses had spread there when they peeled the gauze off her burns.

Joy's eyes followed the movement, "How were you burned Stella?" she asked bluntly but kindly.

Stella felt her heart begin to pound and she began to sweat. She touched her throat again, expecting to feel the leather collar. Her breath came in pants, until she couldn't breathe at all.

"Stella," a voice from somewhere, but Stella couldn't see.

Her vision tunneled, and all she could focus on was that she couldn't breath. She was dying. She knew it. She'd made it away from Princetti alive, but now she was dying.

"Stella."

Orion.

"Stella. It's okay. I'm right here. Breath in," she felt his hand on her head, "breath out. You can breathe. Just focus on my hand."

Slowly the room came back into focus. Orion was staring into her eyes, his hand continued to stroke her hair.

He smiled at her, dimples etched into his face, "There you are, beautiful," he said as her eyes cut to him.

Stella couldn't help it; she choked on a sob and started crying. She threw her arms around Orion and pulled him into her body.

"What's happening to me?" she cried as she buried her face in his neck.

"You had a panic attack, Stella," Joy's voice came to her, "They are a result of an intrusive thought related to your trauma."

Stella shook her head against Orion's neck, her tears soaking his shirt. She breathed in his scent, rubbing her nose against his neck. She felt him lightly touch her back and then her shoulders so he could peer into her face.

He touched his lips to hers, "It's going to be okay," he said, "I used to get them, too. It will get better, I promise."

Stella didn't look away from Orion. His love shone through his eyes.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you too," he answered.

Stella took a deep breath and look at Joy, "Okay," she said, "I get it. Tell me what I need to do."

* * *

 **Thanks again for reading! Please review and critique- also, please let me know how you feel about these new New Species versus OC New Species. I'm just curious... like a cat... ~ Ripley**


	10. chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

Orion could hear Stella arguing in Italian when he walked in the door of their new home.

"Stell?" he called, as he dropped his work bag.

She walked in from the kitchen, still talking. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his chin before continuing her conversation and going back into the kitchen.

Orion smiled. Stella had been supporting the integration of the Gifts who were found in Princetti's lake house, and she was getting along wonderfully.

At least, he thought she was. It was hard to tell, because when Stella spoke Italian, it always sounded like she was yelling.

He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against the doorway, crossing his arms, and loving the way she looked in their kitchen. She was stirring a pot of something delicious. She held the spoon out to Orion and nodded, wanting him to try it.

He pushed away from the door and came closer. Stella blew on the spoon and touched her tongue to it, testing the heat before propping the phone between her chin and shoulder, cupping her hand underneath the spoon, and holding it out.

He opened his mouth, and covered the spoon, keeping his eyes on Stella at the same time.

Her pupils flared and she suddenly switched to English, "I've gotta go."  
She hung up and tossed the phone onto the counter, before reaching over and turning the heat off on the stove.

Orion chuckled as she stalked to him.

"I missed you today," she said, starting to unbutton his shirt.

"I missed you too," he said, "Did you have a good day?"

Stella rolled her eyes, "Yes," she mocked, "I had a good day. I saw Joy, and Piccolina and Carina, and then Tiny and Halfpint joined us and we had a full-out sobfest."

Orion cupped the back of her head, and Stella's eyes closed, "Stella," he said seriously.

Her eyes opened and she sighed, "It was good," she said, "we're all working together and practicing our strategies and working through shit. It sucks, but it's good."

"How was physical therapy?" he added when she finished.

"Oh!" Stella looked excited, "Watch this!"

She looked around quickly and found a rolling pin. She held it out in front of her and started rotating her wrist from side to side, "Huh?" she asked excited, switching it to the other side, "Huh? Pretty awesome, right?"

Orion took the rolling pin from her hand and gently held her wrist. She took a step toward him. He grasped her elbow and slid his arms around her waist. He dipped his head toward her and took her mouth with his. She tasted like the soup she'd been making. He ran his tongue along hers before grasping her waist and hoisting her onto the counter. He took a step back and looked her over.

"Sometimes," he whispered, leaning forward and catching her mouth again, "I can't believe you're mine."

Stella nibbled his lip and ran her tongue along his jaw, before kissing his dimples, "I'm yours," she replied.

Orion held her knees in his hands and slowly pushed them apart. She still couldn't put much weight on her wrists, so he told her, "Hold my shoulders."

Her hands traced his arms and gripped his shoulders as Orion lowered himself to his knees. He growled, "I love it when you wear dresses."

He hiked the bottom of the dress up, and reached around to pull her hips forward. He placed his face in the vee of her thighs and breathed in deeply.

"I do it on purpose," Stella said breathlessly.

"It's much appreciated," Orion said, licking along the silk that covered her folds. It was already soaked through.

Stella sucked in a breath, and moved a hand to his hair.

Orion began to purr, a vibration that caused her to jerk and tighten her knees around his shoulders. He chuckled deeply before reaching up and tearing the panties away from her body. He dove back in immediately, licking and tracing each dip. She got impossibly wetter, and Orion growled, feeling desperate now for her release.

"Orion!" Stella called out, just as he gently inserted first one finger and then two into her dripping channel.

He felt the first flutters of her impending release just as he fastened his mouth over the pearl of her clit and sucked, flicking his tongue over it quickly.

He felt her body vibrate with a purr and he smiled against her body. She had tempered her instincts for a while, but with a lot of practice, a lot of wonderful practice, she was allowing them out again.

Stella got tighter and wetter, and then she was pulsing around him, crying out and holding tightly to his shoulders and head. He felt her panting and he kissed her inner thigh, giving her one last long lick before standing back up.

Stella's eyes were still closed. Her face was flushed prettily and she had a look of repletion that made Orion puff out his chest with pride.

"I'm good," he said, kissing her on the mouth.

Stella laughed, sucking on his tongue and running hers along it.

"You're the master," she agreed, jumping to her feet. She tugged on his hand, leading him to their bedroom.

"But I'm no slouch myself," she giggled, "and it's my turn."

Orion smiled and before she could move another step, swung her up in his arms.

"I think I need a reminder," he said, before walking into their bedroom and depositing her gently on the bed.

"My pleasure," she purred, and reached up, pulling his face to hers, kissing him deeply, "I'm happy to spend my life reminding you."

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading. I hope that you enjoyed Orion!**


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